


Lean on Me

by ashley_lml



Category: Paterson (2016)
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hospitals, Mental Breakdown, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:34:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24224413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashley_lml/pseuds/ashley_lml
Summary: This story takes place months after the movie's ending. I've also made it to where the movie takes place in 2019 which means this story takes place when this whole pandemic started. You are a hospital worker (nurse, RT, radiology, therapies, etc.) during the beginning of the pandemic. You live in Paterson, New Jersey and work at a small hospital outside of the city and you were just selected to work with patients that have this feared virus. But there's a problem: your car was just wrecked and have no reliable transportation. The city accommodates you with bus transportation for only you and the sweetest bus driver everyone has come to know and love. What do you hope will come from this pandemic? Hope? Love? Sex? Or something more?This is my first fanfiction done for Mr. Adam Driver. I will be creating fanfics from each of his best roles and will eventually make it up to Kylo Ren. For now I thought I would try a more calm character that has great potential. Paterson is going to get the recognition he deserves.I am also very bad at summaries if you can't already tell.
Relationships: Adam Driver/Reader, Paterson (Paterson)/Reader, Paterson (Paterson)/You
Comments: 12
Kudos: 12





	1. Prologue 1: Change Comes to Paterson

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a prologue leading up to the actual story. During this chapter Paterson is just learning that there is a pandemic going on and doesn't know if he should be worried or not. He's also about to receive an assignment that will change his daily life as he knows it.

** Lean on Me **

**Prologue 1: Change Comes to Paterson**

Paterson started off his Monday like any other day. He woke up promptly at 6:15 in the morning. His wife Laura continued to sleep and dream of various life goals that have yet to be obtained. He wondered what would her day be like today: she could be practicing on the guitar she bought herself months ago, she could start expanding on her art rather than just painting their house black and white, or she could get back into baking cupcakes which she had abandoned two months ago. As for him it was another day driving the bus around Paterson, New Jersey.

He kissed his wife on the shoulder before getting up to grab his uniform. He sat at the island and had his cereal and coffee. He looked over and saw Marvin glared at him the same way he had been doing since him and Laura got married. It took Laura some time but she finally forgave him and let him back in the house and back to his old chair. He still couldn’t find it in himself to like him but he wasn’t going to blame the accident on him. He was just animal; he couldn’t spend his days holding a grudge with a bulldog. He got up and kissed Laura, grabbed his lunchbox, and left for the depot.

He sat at his seat jotting down a few words for a poem he was working on when Donny approached him. “Hey Paterson. Such a crazy world out there am I right?”

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” He closed his notebook and put it with his belongings.

“There’s a pandemic starting. How have you not heard of it?”

“I choose not to pay attention to current events. They’re always so negative.”

“Well this is something you should’ve paid attention to. There’s this virus spreading from China and it’s already made its way to Italy. The next place it will hit is us!”

“It’s not that serious is it?” He finished up his coffee before returning it to his lunchbox.

“Oh it really is my friend. There’s already a few cases in New York. It’ll be days before it reaches us if not hours. The city is going to put in strict protocols for us as well as thorough sanitation practices. But we won’t know about them until the city informs us.” Paterson looked forward now having a tinge of worry going through his mind. “Anyways be safe out there.” Donny tapped the door as he walked by.

Paterson now had it on his mind. What was this pandemic? How does it affect people? Is he more likely to get it? How can he prevent it? So many things ran through his mind as passengers loaded up on to the bus. Two middle aged women sat near the front and were dishing out gossip. “Did you hear about this Corona virus? It’s killed thousands in China already.”

“I heard it was an act of bio terrorism especially since almost all products are from China.”

“Damn people in China always wanting to cause trouble.” Paterson shook his head at the remark. He wasn’t a fan of racism.

Time flew by as he drove around the city and multiple rumors were buzzing about this pandemic. They said it came from a bat in China and it was transmitted to a human which started the pandemic. With this time of year people were traveling to various countries and that’s how they believed it was able to spread to Europe. The next set of gossip was about New York and how the number of cases were increasing. He wouldn’t doubt it without how oversaturated the population was there. Then there was even talk of the hospital just outside of Paterson having one case of the virus already. He was hoping it was just a rumor, but it also served as a reminder not to go to the hospital anytime soon.

He pulled back into the depot and parked his bus in his usual spot. While he was packing up his belongings to head home Donny pulled him aside. “Hey Paterson, can I speak with you in my office please?” He asked as he walked towards his office. Paterson followed behind wondering what it was about. He hadn’t done anything different from his routine, so he knew he wasn’t in any trouble. Donny was behind his desk as he took a seat in one of the chairs. “Now Paterson I just want to let you know that you are not in any trouble. In fact, we are offering you a temporary position for a higher pay.” He was hoping it had nothing to do with the gossip about this pandemic. “It’s about this pandemic. The hospital outside of town wants to make a deal with the city to provide transport out to the facility mainly for one worker. This person is one of the selected workers to work with Covid patients and they also don’t have a mode of transportation currently.”

“Can’t they take a taxi or one of those ride share company cars?”

“Unfortunately taxis and Ubers are allowed to decline this worker as a client because it is their right. So in order for this person to continue working they need someone to transport them. The city is willing to help this person since they’re on the front lines. However due to funding there are no cars available only the bus. Also you are the only person we can spare for this task. I can’t do it because I have elders living with me and the other drivers have young children.”

“I don’t think I’m cut out for this.”

“Please Paterson you’re our only option. You will only have to drive them to and from their home. You’ll be on the bus so you’ll be distant from this person. We’ll place plastic where they will sit to protect the bus itself and this bus will only be used for this person’s transport. You’ll get a pay raise for sure but there is a catch.”

“What could be worse than what you’re already offering me?”

“You would have to abide by this person’s schedule. Which for the next two weeks are late night shifts. From 7 pm until 9 am. You would have to be available five days a week in case this person is called in. You will only need to transport this person and during the down time you can either do some work here at the depot or have free time here at the depot. We just don’t recommend going home at least until they’re back in their home.”

“Donny you know I don’t do night shifts. I won’t get any time with my wife.”

“It’s just for a short time until this whole thing blows over. We will have you fully protected and free from harm. Please tell me you will do it.”

Paterson was thinking long and hard about this predicament. The money would be better which is what they were needing since Laura was spending sporadically on various artistic outlets. Plus it would save him from her experimental dinners and having to walk Marvin at night. But then he wouldn’t get to see his friends at the bar and he was skipping over the fact that this was dangerous for him as well as Laura. “I will have to talk to Laura about it first.”

“Good. We will need to know by tomorrow morning since this person is required to start their shift tomorrow night.”

“Alright I will think about it.” As he walked out of the depot and on his way pass the warehouses his thoughts stormed. _‘ I don’t even know anything about this virus. How do I contract it? How much danger am I in? What can I do to stop myself from being infected? What are the chances of this person coming into contact with me? Do they have the disease? Does it stick to their clothing? Will they board the bus with a mask or hazmat suit on?’_ Out of all those thoughts one came barging to the front of the line. “What would Laura think about this?”


	2. Prologue 2: Just My Luck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is another prologue but from your point of view. You're a healthcare worker just enjoying your day off when life decides to deal you one bad hand after another. You are being given news at your job based on the pandemic that is on the rise and this is how you prepared yourself as well as your family for the turmoils that are to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made this from the perspective of a healthcare worker and as a disclaimer this situation probably has not happened to everyone but it has happened to me. I am sure not every healthcare worker has had the same thoughts as your character in the story but I often found myself thinking like this. Only on rare occasions. I was completely blind sided by this pandemic and this is somewhat based on my experience. Also I made your character's job title vague because not all of us are nurses or doctors and I feel everyone in the medical field should be included especially when it comes to being loved by Paterson. If anyone has any suggestions or comments I'd love to hear them. This is my first reader insert story and any feedback is welcomed.

** Lean on Me **

**Prologue 2: Just my Luck**

_*Your point of View*_

It was a pleasantly warm day today and I decided to run some errands before I had to go to a meeting with my managers. I picked some essentials for my house as well as food for my pets. I also got a few toys for them to reward them for hanging tough while I’ve been doing these crazy shifts. It was already getting dark when I decided to grab something from the bar before heading home to get ready. It gave me time to go over what all is happening and gave me time to compress. To allow the stress to just roll off my shoulders. 

I had just finished my fries and was drinking my tea when I heard a crash coming from outside. When I turned I saw that my beautiful cherry red Camaro was now smashed into a tree. There was a truck practically mashed into the side. The man stumbled out of the truck with slurred speech and cursed at the invisible person in my car. A police officer arrived on the scene and was speaking with the man as I desperately tried to flag the waitress down. I paid for my meal and rushed outside with smoke practically coming out of my ears.

“How the fuck did this happen?” My day started off so well and ended on a shitty note. A police officer came over to me typing on his tablet. I could already tell from his demeanor that it took him a couple of tries to get into the police academy.

“Ma’am it looks like this gentleman was trying to pull out of the parking lot but was unable to see your vehicle and rammed it into a tree.”

“Well no shit Sherlock I can see that.” I couldn’t help but show my smart-ass side. It’s one of the great things about growing up in Texas besides the great tacos and barbecue.

“Ma’am no need to deal me any sass.”

“Well sorry your feelings are hurt but my car is now totaled. Who let that guy drive anyways?” How in the heck did no one see this man was plastered? I could see it clear as day from where I was standing. The man looked at me and held up a fist and all I did was give him the double finger salute. The cop was oblivious to it all and I was just waiting to see what he was going to do about this mess.

“Ma’am what happened has already happened. I’ll need your information for this report.” This asshole thought this was the best thing to say? Seriously? All this damage and all it boils down to is a report? Fuck this shit. I’m already done with these two idiots.

“Good luck buddy because all my shit is in the car.” I went to my trunk which wasn’t damaged as bad as the side. I grabbed my bags and stuffed some of them in my work backpack and pulled out my phone to order an Uber. The police officer groaned at the thought of searching the car for the information he needed. Oh boohoo he had to go and actually do some work tonight. My Uber arrived promptly and took me back home to drop off my things before I had to go to my meeting. I love this city I truly do, but let’s face it there are idiots in every place I go.

_‘My name is (Y/F/N) I am 26 years old and from Texas. I currently live in Paterson New Jersey which I have to admit is the tightest place I’ve ever lived in. Back home you had to drive a distance just to get to the store. Here everything was in walking distance but it’s always nice to have a car. Anyways I moved here two years ago simply because I wanted a change of scenery. I didn’t want to be one of those people that stayed in one place their whole life but finding a new place, now that was a challenge. I didn’t want to be in a place that was packed and confined like New York or California. I also didn’t want to be in the country because I’ve already lived in that scene. I looked into dozens of job postings before I found one that jumped out at me. It was for a small hospital outside of a place called Paterson, New Jersey. I looked more into it and found out it was about an hour outside of the city which is was a drawback but when I looked at the city I fell in love. It looked like it came right out of a movie. What really caught my eye were the waterfalls: they looked majestic and so serene. I was convinced and before I knew it, I was packing up and moving to Paterson. I am a (medical profession) and I work for St. Christopher Medical Center._

I emerged from the car and had to walk a few miles since no driver wants to be anywhere near the hospital. I had explained to my managers why I was late and told them I was without transportation. Then that was when they laid it on me. That there was a pandemic emerging and that they needed me to take care of the infected patients. “You’ve got to be shitting me.” I exclaimed not even wanting to censor myself in front of my superiors.

“We’re sorry (Y/N) but we only have a handful of staff members at this hospital and a quarter of them are over the age of 65 and about half of them live with elderly or have small children. That just leaves you and a few other staff members and you’ll all be working similar shifts some relieving others. Even then we’ll be stretched pretty thin.”

“So you decided to drop this bomb on me knowing that I don’t have a car anymore?”

“Yes we realize that is an issue but we are working with the city you reside in to arrange for transportation to and from your home.”

“And you expect me to come to work like every day?”

“Well not every day but around five days at the least. However, we will need you here more often if we get a large number of patients, and for now it seems to only be a few cases. We can come up with a specific schedule but as of now you will be working five days a week and alternating weekends with the other staff members. So far we have six staff members that will be assigned to a wing we have designated as the Covid wing. Do you have any questions or concerns?”

“Not like I have a choice against this. When do I have to start?”

“You will start tomorrow evening from 7 pm until 7 am.”

“Fuck that. I don’t do nights.”

“Well the other staff member you’re alternating with is newly married and wants to spend his evenings with his husband.”

There was no use arguing with them. When I came on board that was one of the aspects I pride myself on was my flexibility. What the heck was I thinking when I said I would be available to work any day or time. Oh yeah, I was thinking I want this job. “Fuck it fine I’ll do it. But don’t be getting antsy if I’m late. Especially if my transporter is gonna have my schedule. Also what do I do in order to protect them from contamination?”

“We already have protocols in place for you as well as them. You’re shift starts tomorrow evening so we suggest you go and get some rest.”

“Yeah I’m not gonna fucking rest but thanks for your concern.” I said sarcastically as I left the office. I didn’t even stay to hear what the protocols were I just knew I had to get out of there. If it was something important I would get an email about it soon.

I managed to grab an Uber home after walking for a few miles to a gas station. Not many people question where you came from if you’re found at a gas station. I approached my house which was on the corner of Riverbend and Arbor. It was a blue house with a cherry wood door that was ornament with stained glass. I had a small patch of flowers outside of my home and I had a unique display of an elephant balancing my mailbox on its trunk. It was a gift from my brother who thought it was clever to give my ‘boring’ house a sense of humor. I fumbled with my keys a bit before opening my door and entering my home. I could hear light snoring then something heavy falling to the ground.

My dog sprang to life and jumped off the couch to come and tackle me, but before he could reach me I raised my hand and in a stern voice said, “Halt! Sitzen Alphonse!” The large hound sat in front of me straight and tall. He had a stern look on his face as he looked straight ahead. This was his work mode as my guard dog when I wasn’t home and was ready to attack anyone who dared to break in. “Guter Junge!” I cooed as I patted his head. “Spiel-Modus.” I said and he went from rigid soldier to a normal dog. He bent down showing he wanted to play and raced to grab his squishy ball. He squeaked it in his mouth asking to play. I complied and tossed his ball around a few times and he would jump around with joy. See I didn’t believe in a bad dog or a bad breed I believed in bad owners. Take my dog Alphonse for example he is a Doberman Pinscher and was an ex military dog that was deemed unfit to continue his service due to PTSD from his handler dying in battle. When I heard his story I knew I had to rescue him before they considered putting him down. It wasn’t easy for me at first: he snapped at me a few times, would constantly growl at me, but with patience and love I was able to break down his walls. They notified me that he was trained with German commands because his handler mainly spoke German along with some English. Everyone saw him as a monster but I saw him as a puppy that never really had a chance to be a puppy. He was hurting and scared knowing his friend was never coming back. I know I would be devastated just like him.

Squawking was heard from the other room as a small high pitched voice said, “Alphonse öffne den Käfig!” Alphonse ran back to one of the back rooms and I heard a few clicks and a squawk. Then Alphonse came walking out with a cockatoo riding on his back. This little devil was named Mango because of his bright yellow feathers. He was also a rescue from a home of an elderly woman who could no longer care for him. I was known for taking in damaged animals and giving them what they needed most, which was a loving home. Mango was a smart cookie and developed languages based on television, videos, and other media that his previous owner and her family viewed. He has taken Alphonse as his trusty ally as well as being his mode of transportation because he was afraid of flying. He had a bad experience when his previous owner had the ceiling fan on and left his cage open. He flew right into the blades and broke his left wing. Ever since then he’s been afraid to fly and would just walk or use the Alphonse taxi.

“Well glad you decided to join us Mango. Let me take a quick shower and I’m going to go over something with you both.” I spoke to them as if they understood what I was talking about. Which to me they did understand. Might not be with my words but it was definitely with my body language as well as my tone. I took ten minutes before emerging from my bathroom. I walked by their room and went in to make sure Mango wasn’t stealing anything from me like he always does. And I could see one of my hair ties was hanging from his swing. I took it out of the cage and used it to tie up my hair.

“Okay you two I’ve got some news.” Mango instructed Alphonse to go and sit on his cushion which was a dark green dog bed on the living room floor and he himself would climb up his ‘tree’ and sit on his pink pillow. “Now that you two are settled I’ve got some news. I’m going to be working more now and I am going to be leaving at night.” Mango told Alphonse that I was going to be gone when it’s dark. Alphonse’s ears went back as he whined. “I know buddy but it’s only temporary and besides I’ll have Jenny come and check on you.” Jenny was one of the neighborhood kids back home from college due to all of this pandemic nonsense. Mango told Alphonse that Jenny would come and watch them. His ears perked up a bit and his little stubby tail wagged. “Thank you both for understanding. I love you very much.”

I decided to take them both out for a walk to give them some exercise. One thing I loved about this city is no one was scared that Alphonse walked off leash. I had it on me in case I needed it, but he was so well trained that he wouldn’t run or even think about attacking a stranger unless provoked. We walked down a street we haven’t been down before and admired all of the neon lights when we came across a bulldog tied to a drainpipe outside of a bar. Oh fuck no someone did not tie an animal to a pipe just to get a drink. Oh, I was going to fuck with this person and have fun with it. I untied the dog’s leash and had him follow me to a bench on the other side of the street and a few feet from sight. The dog immediately jumped into my lap and wanted to get some affection from me. (The rest of this story will appear in the next chapter.)

I cheered as I opened the door and let everyone in. Another victory for the (L/N) family! We were exhausted though from our adventure and we all fell asleep to the sounds of Hell’s kitchen reruns on the living room TV. Mango stayed awake the longest learning all of the colorful words Gordon Ramsey used such as _Fucking Raw_ and _Get your head out of your ass_. You know normal words for birds to know.

The next morning I did my best to make myself sleep more. It was nearing 6 so I got my gear ready before I showered: I had my scrubs in a bag in my backpack, my packed lunch along with snacks and drinks, my stethoscope, and my earbuds to fill those empty moments of silence. After I showered and was dressed in my favorite Harry Potter shirt and a pair of black yoga pants, I grabbed a granola bar to act as my proper breakfast. I kissed both of animals goodbye and I made sure to stash a spare key for Jenny. I was locking my door when I heard a bus pull up. This was my reliable transportation? A large ass bus? I shook my head as I walked up to it inspecting that it was a pretty old bus. The doors opened and the bus driver was revealed to be wearing a mask and it was already annoying me. “No need for the mask dude I haven’t been to work yet. No way for you to catch anything.” This was already going to be a long day I could just feel it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How did everyone enjoy this chapter? Let me know what you think and what I can do to make the story better. I also hoped you like the addition of the comic relief animals and as you can tell I don't speak German so Google translate has been my friend. Also I've never owned a bird before so that's based solely on Google as well. I'm sure these two will have more adventures to come. We've got one more prologue then the story will officially begin and our two main characters will meet. Again leave me some feedback and how I can make this story better. I will definitely need help when it comes to the smut in later chapters! Speaking of smut there will be masturbation in the next chapter!


	3. Prologue 3: Good Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the final prologue of the story before our two characters clash their stories. This time it's Paterson's conclusion on whether he is going to accept the job or turn it down. He goes to Laura for advice on what he should do. But will she provide a rational input or does he need to find the answer elsewhere? Also how will he react to your character taking his dog? How will he react to seeing you for the first time?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright the biggest thing I will note about this chapter is that there is smut. Now this is my first time writing smut and even now I'm not sure if I did it correctly so please be gentle. Paterson is going to experience what it's like to have a kink. If you like this chapter let me know in the comments. There will be plenty more smut later on so bear with me.

** Lean on Me **

**Prologue 3: Good Boy**

_~*~*~*~*Paterson’s POV*~*~*~*~_

I tried to enjoy the rest of my walk home and run over what I was going to say to Laura. Either way she was going to be against it, and honestly I don’t blame her. The world is in danger and no amount of fire power can stop it. Who knows how many people will get this disease let alone survive from it. It was so much for me to process but the only one who could set it all straight would be Laura.

She seemed to be in a good mood today; she was in the kitchen fumbling with various ingredients for our dinner tonight. I was afraid to ask what it was and hoped I could stomach it. It was now or never. I sat Laura down in the living room and explained what Donny told me and she was not happy about it.

“Absolutely not. Honey it’s too dangerous for you. Do you even know who this person is?”

“No I just know that they have no car so they’ll need transportation to and from the hospital.”

“That’s ridiculous. Why can’t they just give them a car?”

“Probably because they can’t afford it?”

“That’s absurd it’s those politicians that don’t want to dig into their own pockets to help out this so called precious front-line worker.”

“Honey, you’re getting riled up.”

“Well of course I am. Just because this person is sacrificing their life for this cause doesn’t mean you have to. Why can’t any of the other drivers take this route?”

“They have children and elderly living with them.”

“Well we have a child too.” She pointed at the dog laying lazily on the chair.

“Most people don’t consider dogs as children honey.”

“Well most people are wrong.”

“About the new assignment: they told me my hours would be changing to fit this person’s schedule. For the next two weeks they’re doing overnight shifts from 7 pm until 7 am.”

“Oh no that’s not going to work at all. I can’t think of a night where I will be sleeping alone without you.”

“It’ll only be for two weeks.”

“Doesn’t matter. Two weeks, two days, or even two hours away from you is torture.” She curled up into my side and I wrapped my arm around her trying to provide her the stability she needed. I kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair to get her to calm down.

“They want my decision by tomorrow since it’ll be the person’s first shift. They offered me a raise as compensation, and we’ll need it if you want to get your cupcake business up and running.” I felt her tense at the mention of her cupcakes. She hadn’t made them since a few months ago when she made them to sell at the farmers market.

“Well we can talk about this more tonight when you get back from your walk with Marvin.” She got up and was finishing with dinner preparations. She announced that we were having something called Kale and stewed Tofu. I could already feel my stomach churning.

I stepped outside with Marvin yanking me to whatever destination he wanted to go. I swear this dog has hated me since I first came into his life. I wish he was more tamed or at least less demanding like a cat. In fact sometimes I wish he was a cat. I tied him up to the same drain pipe and went in to get a beer to get this bad taste out of my mouth. Doc was standing at his chessboard with a pint of beer already poured for me. I did a scan of the room and saw Marie talking with a man who had dirty blonde hair and had a great smile. Everett was on the opposite side of the room talking with a woman as well: one with red hair, green eyes, and freckles splashed across her cheeks. These two people unlucky in love finally were able to move on to newer people. Not a whole has changed since that incident where I had to tackle Everett thinking he had a real gun. I wasn’t a big fan of change so knowing everything was about the same made me content and at ease.

I sat down and said hi to Doc as I sipped my beer. “Hey Paterson how are things?”

Usually I don’t air out my problems to anyone and not even Laura knew what went on in my mind. I just feel I had to talk to someone and maybe this would alleviate my stress. “Have you heard anything about this pandemic?”

“Oh yeah everyone’s heard about it. The Coronavirus.” He turned to me, forgetting his game, and giving me his attention. “It started off in China and made its way to Europe. Now it’s starting to spread here starting with New York. It’s all over the news.”

“How likely is someone to catch it?”

“Anyone can get it. But last I checked the elderly and those who get sick easily are more likely to get it. It’s actually made its way into nursing homes.”

“That’s very sad. Is there any cure for it yet?”

“No, it’s still very new. Why do you ask?”

“Because my job might be changing soon. They want me to transport this healthcare worker to and from the hospital for their shifts and they’re working directly with the infected patients.”

“Oh, my lord.” I felt like he was going to take pity on me like everyone else was. Practically sealing my fate for doing my job. I was getting tired of others feeling bad for me like I’m dying. “I feel bad for that person.” His comment caught me off guard. However I knew he was trying to show me the other side. “Well now I’m concerned for you but again you have a choice. You could say no and keep yourself safe, but this person can’t. They’re a frontline worker doing their best to treat the sick and also protecting us. They can’t say no because then there is no one else to care for the weak.”

“Can’t they just say no? I’m pretty sure there are others out there that could help.”

“But what if there isn’t? What if every healthcare worker said no because something was too dangerous? Then we would have more lives lost than saved. Should never take what they do for granted. This person would probably end up saving your life one day.”

He gave me a new perspective on this situation, and he was right. I have the freedom to say and I was looking for any excuse or reason to say no. But now I actually had a reason to say yes to this offer and it was stronger than all the others. “Thanks Doc. You’ve managed to help me make up my own mind. Sadly I won’t be coming here for a while.” Doc nodded and we talked about all of the famous people from and he showed me many newspaper and magazine clippings to decide what would go on the wall. Then we focused on his game and tried to figure out sure-fire winning strategies. I wasn’t good at chess but I provided great conversation while I finished my beer. I got up from my stool and say my goodbye to Doc. I thanked him again for setting me straight. Doc nodded to me, “Good luck and stay safe.”

I went outside to grab Marvin only to find that he wasn’t there anymore. I looked down one side of the street to see nothing and then I looked to the other side and I still saw no signs of him. “Marvin!” I found myself shouting for this dog that I hated. Only because I knew it would break Laura’s heart if he was missing. Who would just steal a dog? My heart was pounding so loud I could hear it clear as day.

“And just like that this little guy would be halfway across New Jersey by now and you wouldn’t have even noticed.” I turned and adjusting my eyes to the dim light I saw the outline of a woman and Marvin was in her lap snuggling his head into her arm. I couldn’t help but blush while I took in her image. She had long (H/C) hair, her (E/C) eyes sparkled in the light, her skin was sun-kissed and smooth, she had tattoos up the upper parts of her arms and it looked like from her shoulders that she also had one on her back, she wore gray crop top that had small sleeves that fell off her shoulders, she had on tight black denim jeans, I caught a glimpse of a belly button ring, and she wore black leather boots. She looks rough but I was finding her very attractive. Next to the two of them was a large mean looking dog with a bird on its head. As she stood up, the bird jumped from the dog to her arm climbing its way up to her shoulder, and her dog walked in front of her. “Maybe you’ll remember this feeling the next time you think it’s a good idea to tie your dog up to a drainpipe.” I wasn’t paying much attention to what she was saying because I was taking in the rest of her appearance and those jeans were doing a great job showing off her curves. I only caught a quick glance but I could see she had some really large ‘personality traits.’

I crossed the street to her with my hand out for the leash. I wasn’t in the mood for a lecture especially from someone so beautiful but intimidating. “Look I’m sorry but I gotta get home can I just have my dog back?” Apparently I made a sudden move and the scary dog was growling at me and I had to admit I was intimidated. During my tours I was around lots of dogs just like this one and in this moment I could hear the growling and barking from when they attacked. I fought back the urge to resort to my military ways. That wasn’t me anymore and I didn’t plan on attacking or be attacked by this creature. I still kept my guard up in case this did get messy.

The dog crouched down and was prepared to lunge at me until a stern voice spoke. “Ferse Alphonse. Bleibe.” The dog became docile and sat back where he was before. The dog knows German?

Then I heard a squawk coming from the bird. “Alphonse good boy.” He crawled back down her arm and hopped on to the dog’s head patting him with his foot.

“Your dog understands German?” I’ve heard of dogs like this but I’ve never seen one in person before.

“Yeah. See what a dog can be like if they’re properly trained? There are no bad dogs just bad owners.” She handed me the leash and she instructed Marvin to go to me. Surprisingly he listened to her and walked over to me. “Next time I see him tied up there with no proper set-up I’m taking him and you’ll have to beg me to get him back.” Not something I would want to do especially not for this dog.

“You’re a very dominating person. You must be a good trainer.”

“If you like how I train my animals you should see how I train my men.” She smiled at me and I could feel a blush on my cheeks. She turned her back to me and proceeded to walk away. “Komm Alphonse. Gehen wir nach Hause.” Before she was out of my line of sight she looked back over her shoulder and winked at me. “Be a good boy.” I’m not sure what came over me but my mouth was becoming dry and I couldn’t help but gulp the air I was breathing. I could faintly see her tattoo and it matched her demeanor: black angel wings.

After that bout of excitement I had to take a few minutes to gain my self-control before I went home to Laura. I went into the house and Marvin immediately went to his chair. Laura was already in bed when I got home. So I managed to take off Marvin’s leash without get attacked. He must’ve been worn out from being out later than usual. I crawled into bed and looked up at the ceiling running through all that just happened. I immediately felt ashamed because I was getting these sexual urges and they weren’t caused by my wife. But they were here now and I need a way to release them. Maybe Laura would want this too? It’s been awhile since the last time we had done anything. I turned to her and her naked back was to me, and as gentle as I could be I leaned forward and I kissed her neck as I ran my hand down her side to rest on her backside. She groaned but then said, “I’m sorry honey I’m just not in the mood. I’m too frustrated about all of this.” She shuffled into the sheets and covered more of her body.

I wasn’t angry or disappointed because she shot me down. I love her and this didn’t make me love her any less. I laid again on my back and thought about that woman. How she looked in those tight dark jeans, the crop top that showed her mid section, and the neckline that plunged showing off a lot of cleavage. Her sinister smile drove me wild, the way she swayed her hips as she walked away from me made me want to chase her, and her voice was sweet and could bring me to my knees. I wondered what she would look like in a dress or a skirt and having those sexy legs bless me with their appearance. How would she look in lingerie? With those images in my head my body had failed me by manifesting my urges. 

I decided to get up and take a shower hoping it would help with my situation but it was actually making it worse. I just kept picturing that woman giving me orders and treating me like if I was a dog. I’ve never been into anything kinky but something about this woman makes me yearn to be dominated by her. In some ways I wanted to dominate her too. My mind went the other route and I closed my eyes and wrapped my hand around my shaft. My mind went dark and I heard her voice.

_~*~*~*~*Paterson’s Fantasy*~*~*~*~_

**_“Oh, does the doggy want a treat?”_** I could see her standing in front of me dressed in a purple corset with matching panties, some thigh high fishnet stockings, and a pair of black stiletto heels. I found myself whimpering for her as I started stroking my cock. **_“No!”_** She shouted catching me off guard. **_“I didn’t give you permission to touch yourself. Did I say you could?”_**

I couldn’t find my voice before but after she repeated herself a second time I managed to speak. _“No mistress. You didn’t give me permission. I’m sorry.”_

She ran her fingers through my hair and I relished the touch and then she tugged on it to make me look at her. Her eyes had a tint of mischief in them and the way they looked into my very soul turned me on. **_“Now I don’t give treats to bad boys. You’re gonna have to beg and maybe I’ll let you have it.”_**

Without even thinking I was already begging. _“Please mistress I’ll never do that again. I’m a good boy who listens. Please mistress forgive me.”_ Even begging was turning me on and it was getting painful to not cum.

She went to a chair (that appeared out of nowhere) and sat down crossing her sexy legs. **_“Alright I will let you have your treat but this is the only time I will let you go without punishment. Do you understand me?”_**

_“Yes my mistress.”_ I wondered what was going to be my treat but I had an idea of what it could be.

She uncrossed her legs and removed each of her stockings showing me those beautiful legs. Then she lifted her hips and removed her panties and then she spread her legs a bit and waved a finger at me. **_“Now come and get your treat.”_** I stood up to go over to her when she spoke again. **_“Uh uh. Back on your knees.”_** I immediately dropped to my knees. **_“Stay on the floor and crawl.”_** I crawled on my hands and knees to her and knelt down in front of her waiting for her command. **_“Good boy. Do you want this treat?”_**

_“Yes. More than anything. Can I please have my treat?”_ I was shaking with anticipation my hands clenching so hard that my knuckles were turning white.

She leaned forward for a second and tilted my chin to look at her. Then she placed a soft kiss on my lips. When she pulled back I couldn’t help but lick my lips. I wanted to remember her taste which was like sweet strawberries. She smiled at me causing my heart to flutter. What I wouldn’t do to keep her smiling like that. She leaned back and opened her legs again. **_“Alright be a good boy and finish it all or there will be no more treats for you.”_**

I nodded with enthusiasm and I leaned forward and wrapped each of my arms around her legs kneading the soft flesh of her thighs. I placed feather kisses from her knee to the crease of her upper thigh. I caught a glimpse of her expression as I switched to the other leg. Her head was leaned back slightly and her eyes were closed relishing in the touch. That’s what I wanted to see. My mistress, no my queen in absolute bliss.

I could smell her sweet scent luring me to what I wanted the most. This was my first time getting this treat so I was going to savor every moment of it. I kissed at her closed folds as I went up and found her clit. I swirled my tongue around it causing her breath to hitch. She tried to back from my mouth but my hands kept her steady against me. I placed my mouth again on her clit and sucked on it causing her to throw her head back and moan. Oh the sweet sounds she made was music to my ears. Her fingers went back into my hair tugging and releasing repeatedly. I went lower and used my fingers to pull open her folds and sticking my tongue inside of her. She gasped wanting me to keep going. My tongue had a mind of its own as it pushed inside of her and came out in slow fluid motions. One of my hands let go of her fold so that my thumb could go to work on her clit.

In no time she was bucking her hips getting a steady rhythm going. By the way the was gripping my hair I could feel she was getting close. I used my other hand and inserted two fingers inside of her. She squeaked when I did this and it was the cutest thing I’ve heard. I took my thumb off her clit and replaced it with my mouth. I was almost at my limit so I added a third finger and picked up the pace. She kept screaming my name and I felt her pussy pulsating around my fingers. I sucked harder on her clit and that’s what drove her over the edge. Her pussy spasmed as her juices flowed freely over my fingers. I held my fingers to my mouth and licked off all of her tasty juices before going back in and cleaning up the rest; God she tasted so good.

She looked down at me with a satiated smile then down at my cock which was now looking like it was going to explode. **_“Good boy.”_** Before I could say anything back she knelt down in front of me and grabbed my cock. I shivered in her touch and felt my release coming as she moved her hand up and down. Her thumb ran over the head and I could feel it coming.

_~*~*~*~*End Fantasy*~*~*~*~_

I could feel myself cumming so I sped my hand up and relied heavily on my fantasy. In a matter of seconds my seed shot out like a missile hitting the tile wall. Streams of my seed splashed on to the tile wall and the shower floor. It took me a minute to catch my breath finally satisfied. Well now I had to actually shower and clean up before going out there to Laura. Guilt was hanging heavy on my heart but for those few minutes it just felt so right. She felt right.

I slid back into bed now feel exhaustion take over. Laura stirred from her sleep and turned to face me. “Why did you take a shower? You usually shower before work.” There were a lot of reasons why I took a shower but none of them would’ve helped extinguish Laura’s suspicion.

“Yeah but I felt like I needed one tonight to clear my head so I can make my decision.”

“Honey they should give you more time to think this over.”

“I’ve decided to take the position.” I blurted out without really thinking of reasons to follow.

“You’ve decided? Since when are these decisions made by just you? We’re married. We do this together.” Did we really? Where was my say when she bought herself the guitar? Where did she allow my input when she decided to redecorate the house to look like Tim Burton’s playhouse? What about when she decided to go into making cupcakes? I didn’t get a say in any of those decisions. I nodded and went with them to make her happy. So why is she fighting me on this?

“I’m aware of that. But I feel like this is the least I could do for this person who has to be on the frontline.”

“They have a choice honey and they chose to do this knowing the risks.” A choice? When do they ever get a choice? Do police officers or fire fighters get to choose which emergencies to go to? I wanted to voice these concerns but I knew they would fall on deaf ears.

“I’m sorry honey but I’m doing it.” She turned her back to me and that was the end of that discussion. I know she’s mad at me now but I am doing this for the better good. I don’t often go against what she says but I felt strongly about this and I was not about to budge. I turned on my side with my back to her. Sleep came easy to me and I hoped I could see that woman to grant me peaceful dreams.

We stayed quiet for the rest of the night and in the morning I resumed my normal routine. Instead of going to get on the bus I went to Donny’s office to fill out paperwork for my temporary position. There were a lot of liability forms and even a non-disclosure agreement so that the press can’t get any info out of me. That seems reasonable considering the severity of the situation. I went back home and Laura was gone for the day and left me a note saying she was going shopping. As if we weren’t having enough financial issues. I looked at Marvin and he just growled deeply at me. I had half a mind to tell him to shut up. But what’s the point? I’d be wasting my time and energy on him; which is not was I was wanting today. I decided to go back to bed and try to get some more sleep since I would have to awake in a few hours.

The sun was setting and I looked at my watch as it read 6:15 but this time it was pm. I got up and got ready for work. Laura was barely starting dinner and I didn’t have time to wait for whatever she was cooking so I just had some cereal and coffee. I deemed myself lucky this time since I could avoid one of her experimental meals. I tried to give her a kiss before work but she dodged me still showing her spite. I didn’t have the time or energy for this; I told her goodbye as I left out the door.

I walked back to the depot and watched as all the workers had left. Donny showed me my new bus which was one of the shorter buses but was still a good distance between me and the passenger. “Alright Paterson. You will be the only one here during this shift. So here are the keys to the spare room where you can relax or sleep between transports. Don’t worry about cleaning the bus we have a special cleaning team that will take care of that in the morning. Here is the clicker to open the garage door for you to get in and to leave. And here is the address of the person. They said you’ll know it’s their house when you see the mailbox which is being held up by the trunk of an elephant statue.”

I was extremely confused but I didn’t bother to ask. I got on the bus and did my usual check: made sure my mirrors were set, that all my gauges were reading normal, made sure all of my stuff was set up, and mentally prepared myself. Donny came back and handed me something. “Here is a mask. You don’t have to wear it but if it makes you feel safer and more comfortable then wear it. It’ll help with protection against germs from coughing and sneezing.

“Thank you.” I looked at the black cloth mask and I placed it on top of my things. I wasn’t planning on doing anything different with this route but now I see that I would need to take precautions. I also noticed that there was a large plastic swinging door in between where I sit and the beginning of the seats. “Is this necessary?” I asked and Donny just nodded.

“You’ll feel better my friend trust me. You’ll still be able to hear the person but you’ll have an added layer of protection.” He looked at his clipboard then back at me. “Ready to roll?”

“I guess.” I said hesitantly. He walked away and I started the bus and drove out of the depot. At red lights I looked over the street address and directions trying to piece the route together. I finally found the house with the elephant mailbox with no help from Donny’s directions. I made a full stop outside of the house and just admired the mailbox and I had to admit the mailbox was very cute. I wish I could get a mailbox as creative as that. Hell I wish I could have a mailbox that stays in the ground. I straightened myself up as I saw a person exiting the door and it looked like they were hiding a key somewhere. They were heading towards me but weren’t looking up from their phone. The person was in a large hooded sweatshirt and before they came any closer to the doors I slipped on the mask making sure it was secure.

I opened the doors and the person stepped on to the bus and scoffed. “I haven’t been to work yet. You don’t need that stupid mask on.” The voice sounded familiar but I couldn’t recall who it was at that moment. She made it to the plastic divider before commenting, “Wow they’re gonna do me like that? Make me like a caged animal?” She pushed passed the divider and sat down. She took off her sweatshirt and revealed that it was the girl from last night. Flashes of my fantasy raced through my mind and my face turned red. I looked back to the front of the bus trying to calm my fast beating heart. I didn’t sign up for this. Or did I?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow what a turn of events! Paterson experiences his first kinky fantasy and it's with you! A girl he barely met once but let a big impression on his mind as well as his heart. Where will these two end up? You'll have to find out in the next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4: Clearing the Air

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is about the two of you meeting officially. It's mainly from his point of view. A lot happens in this chapter and Paterson is very talkative which is very much unlike himself. A majority of this is fluff but it's necessary in order for your bond to form.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a long chapter to both read and write. Sorry for it being late but as the story entails I am a real life hospital worker and things are going crazy right now. Anyways this chapter is pretty fluffy but I think it's necessary to form the bond. Also I am currently writing the next chapter that will have some smut in it for sure. Also I do not own the rights to Paterson nor do I own the song "Remind me by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood."

** Lean On Me **

**Chapter 4: Clearing the Air**

(Y/N) sat down on the plastic covered seats near the divider and it made a small but loud squeak. “I swear that was not me that was the chair.” I was going to pretend I didn’t notice but since she pointed it out I couldn’t help but look at her through the mirror and raised a brow. She was smoothing out the plastic near her to ensure no more noise would come out I'm glad I wore this mask otherwise she could see me grinning ear to ear. She looked up and saw me staring and she looked elsewhere to avoid my gaze she sat sideways in her seat and crossed her legs staring at her phone. She was one of those people I guess. The ones that are glued to their smart devices and lose all sense of individuality. I shook my head and started the bus to get us on the road. As soon as I pressed on the pedal to move the bus forward a few feet she was sliding back across the plastic and her back hit the rail. “Ow what the fuck?” She said cringing from the impact. I panicked and stomped on the brakes and she slid forward almost hitting the other railing. Luckily she caught herself before she made impact. “What the hell, you guys wanted to make a slip and slide back here?”

I looked back at her feeling like it was entirely my fault. “I'm so sorry. I didn't know that would happen.” 

I expected her to yell and curse at me. Her head remained down with her hair covering her face and I heard a little soft noise coming from her. Is she crying? Oh God my first day with her and I already made her cry. I opened my mouth to apologize but she lifted her head revealing that she wasn't crying. She was laughing. “This must be the new model that doesn’t require water.” I let out a sigh of relief; I didn’t even know I was holding my breath. She adjusted herself again to where she wasn’t going to keep sliding. She looked back up at me and gave me a thumbs up. “All good Mr. Driver! Let it rip!” I wanted to do a comeback but all I could do was nod. Her smile slowly faded as she thought I was brushing her off.

Neither of us spoke and silence filled the space except for the sounds of the engine roaring. I was growing anxious by the minute. I’m always the silent one; I’m used to having multiple people on board having various conversations but now it’s just her. I caught glimpses of her in the mirror, and she was just sitting there staring at the lights and many advertisements. She caught me looking at her a few times and I would look forward. Her solemn expression turned in a look of frustration and then she slammed her hand on the seat. “Alright I’m done. Pull the bus over.” Pull it over? In the middle of nowhere? What was she going to do out here?

“Um. I don’t think it’s the best idea for me to just pull over. We’re on a schedule.”

“PULL. THE. FUCKING. BUS. OVER.” Her angered voice sent a shiver down my spine and immediately I pulled over. I’m glad there was no one else on the road because I wasn’t even looking before I pulled off to the side. I put the bus in park and sat there with my hands on the wheel. “Okay you can either turn and face me or I’m gonna go beyond the divider. Your choice.”

I turned in my chair slowly but I wasn’t able to find an angle to where I could show her she had my full attention. I figured she was going to have to see me fully eventually so better to get this over with. I stood up and I was already feeling anxious so I chickened out at the last minute and sat down on the floor in front of my console. She tilted her head looking confused but shrugged her shoulders and sat down on the floor too so we could face each other. “First off I’m sorry for yelling at you. I’ve just been having a hard few days. I’m sure it hasn’t been easy for you either having to adjust to all of this.” I being an idiot just shrugged my shoulders. “Anyways I think since we’re stuck in this together we need to get acquainted and I should also inform you on all that’s going on. Because let’s face it the news is not always accurate.” I again said nothing just nodded like a dummy. “Alright we’re gonna do what they do in school as an ice breaker. First we’ll save our names, ages, what we do, where we’re from, and something interesting about ourselves. Sound like something you can do?” I nodded eagerly wanting to know about her. “Okay I’ll go first.” She did a wave that was so graceful and she now had a smile on her face. Only one word can describe her in this moment: beautiful. “Hello, my name is (Y/N), I am in my twenties and that’s all you’ll know because a woman never reveals her age, and I work at Sacred Heart. I was born in North Texas and have lived in various towns, cities, and suburbs. Now something interesting about me…” She was biting her lower lip as she was became lost in thought. “I guess the only thing interesting is I rescue animals.”

“What do you mean you rescue animals?” So the dog and the bird were rescues. I felt like such an ass.

“Yeah I used to do it all the time in Texas. I got this Doberman named Alphonse and he’s an ex-military dog. I also have a cockatoo named Mango. Now he’s a little evil genius but he’s a good friend to Alphonse.” The dog is a military dog, and I am a huge jerk. “Okay now it’s your turn.”

I was too busy mentally kicking myself that I forgot to come up with my interesting fact. What was interesting about me? “Um, my name is Paterson. I am in my thirties, I was born and raised here in Paterson, and I drive the city bus. I had to think long and hard about an interesting fact. I didn’t think this was all that interesting nor did I want this to be the first thing she learned about me. I just hope she doesn’t think of me differently. “I was in the military and yes I was in a war.”

She took a long pause contemplating on what to say next. I knew this was going to happen and I bet I knew what she was going to say. _‘Thank you for your service. You’re a hero. You’re a murderer. What’s it like? Did anyone die?’_ I’ve heard it all more times than I could ever count. She looked at me again and smiled sweetly and if I didn’t have that mask on my jaw would’ve dropped. “So we can both agree that MREs (Meal Ready to Eat) are terrible?”

Out of all that she could’ve chosen to talk about she chose to talk about food. “Actually after a while I didn’t mind the taste. It was just supposed to sustain me.” They were actually pretty bad but what else was I supposed to eat out there? Sand? “You’ve had them before?” I shouldn’t have been surprised it’s not like they’re solely for the military.

“Yeah my buddy back in college had a ton of them in his closet. Whenever we had to do an all night study session they were the only thing we could eat because the cafeteria was closed. By the way the eggs with cheese was the worst one of them all.”

“That I can agree with. Took me nearly all of my water to choke that down.” I didn’t really talk about my military experiences not even to Laura. I wasn’t thinking and I blurted all of this out.

“I don’t envy that skill.” She laughed. Then she looked around the bus and saw the sky was darkened and several stars were emerging from their slumber. “So this must really be throwing off your routine.” I wasn’t sure what she meant. “I had an ex boyfriend that was in the military. He was an infantryman and he always had a routine. He would wake up at five in the morning, goes to work, comes home to have dinner, and finished it off with some heavy drinking. Any time anything messed with his routine he would go into a frenzy.” She smiled weakly and her eyes were glazed over. That didn’t sound pleasant at all. Did something happen? Did he hurt her? Before I could ask she spoke again. “I’m sorry you got dragged into this.” Her voice was softer and solemn.

“Don’t be. I wanted to do this. I mean like you said we’re stuck in this together right?”

“Exactly.” She smiled again and I felt relief wash over me. “Okay so we got that out of the way. Now since you know more about me you feel comfortable taking the mask off?”

I completely forgot I had the mask on hiding the real me from her. I guess with this mask on I developed a new persona. But it was time to face the music. I reached up and touched the black fabric that was becoming my safety net. God I hope this didn’t undo all the progress we’ve made. “Is it alright? I wasn’t told when I could take this off.”

“Yes it’s fine. Like I said before I haven’t been to work yet so I haven’t been exposed. I haven’t been out of the country and I have always practiced good cough and sneeze etiquette. Also this nifty wall keeps us separated so I can’t get you infected anyways.” I pulled at the loops of the mask and it slowly came off of my face. Her smile disappeared into a serious frown and then into a smirk. “Ah you’re the guy that tied up his dog to a pipe.”

“Okay I have no way to defend myself against that. It’s just that I’ve been doing that for a while now and he’s been okay. My wife insists I take him out on a walk every night and he's not a huge fan of mine so I use that time to grab a quick beer. I only stay in the bar for fifteen minutes or twenty at the most.” Here I was spilling out my guts and I had to mention I was married; I wasn’t sure how’d she react though. I figured she'd be more distant or not as open. Not that I wanted her to be close anyways because again I'm married and I'd never cheat. I just don't want this friendship to be different because of this. If that's even what this was.

“A lot can happen in those fifteen minutes. He can be taken, he could get attacked, or he can undo his leash and run off.” She wasn’t phased by it and still continued to gripe at me about Marvin. I looked down at the floor ashamed at myself because I'm a horrible person. “But I wasn’t in the right. I shouldn’t have taken him. Not even to prove a point.” I looked back at her feeling better about this situation. “How about this either you take him home before you go to the bar, take him in with you, or make sure he’s chipped in case he does go missing. Deal?”

“Deal.”

“By the way I knew it was you the whole time.”

“How?”

“C’mon I’m not stupid. I’ve only seen you once before but I could tell by your eyes.” My eyes? Last time she saw me I was across the street and it was dark. How could she possibly see my eyes? “Now we’ve spent about twenty minutes talking so I’ve got ten to spare. Okay how much do you know about this pandemic?”

“Not much at all. Just whatever I’ve heard on the bus.”

“So nothing factual. Got it.” She chuckled. **(Insert long explanation about the pandemic that I will not get into because we’ve heard this all before I’m sure. Now back to the story!)** I felt like a light bulb in my mind had fizzled out. “Any questions?” I just slowly shook my head no. “Good. Then let’s work together to get through this.” She placed her hand on the divider and I wasn’t sure what she was going for but I placed my hand up to hers. “Alright Paterson let’s ride!”

_~*~*~*~*Your point of view*~*~*~*~_

Paterson got up and went to his chair. God that man was tall. I’m only about 5’6 and he could still tower over me. He started up the engine and it rumbled underneath me. He looked back at me. “I can’t move with you in the aisle. It’s not safe.”

“Such a boy scout.” I got up and sat back on the plastic farting chairs. It again made that loud noise and I facepalmed. “That was the chair.”

He looked up into the mirror and said. “Sure blame it on the chair.” Was that a smile I saw? My face grew a little red and I had to look away. Can’t let this guy get to me. No matter how cute he is.

I was getting bored just sitting in silence. “So what do you do for fun Patty?” He looked back at me and glared not liking the nickname. I just smiled and waved back at him. “Okay I’ll think of a better nickname.”

“How about just calling me by my actual name?”

“Nope. Not gonna happen. It symbolizes our friendship.”

“Well I don’t really do much. I read and go to the bar for one beer.”

“Sounds very mundane. Well I go out sometimes too. Only I go to a club so I can dance. Do you dance?”

“Not really. I’ve got two left feet.”

“Oh come on you’re not that bad.”

“You’ll say otherwise when I step on your feet.”

“Oh so you’re saying we’re gonna dance together someday?”

“Not really.” I could see his ear were turning red.

“Well I also like to sing, and I have this strange habit write song lyrics.”

“You write music?”

“Well not the technical sheet music. I write song lyrics.”

“That’s actually very interesting. I think it’s amazing that you sing too.”

“Well I’m not any good. I sound like a dying cat.”

“I’m sure you’re not terrible.”

“You’ll regret that someday Care bear.”

I tapped on my phone and chuckled to myself then suddenly the bus halted and I slid across the seats bumping into the railing. I looked up at him and his dumb smirk. “Oops thought I saw a rabbit.”

“Oh just wait I’ll get you back next time.” He just looked at me in the mirror and winked before he looked forward. Did he just wink at me? I had to turn the other way so he didn’t see how he made me blush.

I adjusted myself on the seat, I removed my shoes so I could sit with my legs crossed to provide me some stability and had my bag next to me so I could have access to my papers. He looked up making sure I was ready for him to take off. I held up a finger for him to wait as I made sure I had everything in my folder and had my highlighter and pen ready. “Onward Jeeves.” I declared and he glared at me again. “I’m still trying out names get used to it.”

He started up the big metallic beast and we went onwards. I figured that with how loud the bus was here wouldn’t be able to hear music anyways no matter how loud my phone was so I ignored it for now. I scanned over the papers reviewing all of the new policies in place. “What are those for?” I heard him ask and saw his curious gaze in the mirror.

“They’re the new rules in play. The hospital has new policies because of this whole pandemic. This way all of the staff members are on the same page when it comes to these patients. It gives us a way to stay safe and to protect everyone else. It’s also very boring and uses a lot of unnecessary wording.”

“I wouldn’t doubt that. But it’ll keep you safe at least.”

“That we know of. It’s all still a work in progress.”

“I’ll let you get back to it then. Don't mind me.”

“Thanks big cat.”

I glanced briefly in the mirror to see how he's react to the name. Surprisingly he didn't hate it. Okay big cat is still on the table. Good to know. I only last about two minutes in the silence. “Okay don't take this the wrong way but I gotta put my earbuds in at least until I finish reading. I'm not ignoring you okay?”

“I know you won't. Go on ahead.” I popped in my earbuds and hit play on my phone. Time for me to focus. There was so much to process and I could already feel my head hurting.

_~*~*~*~*Patterson’s POV*~*~*~*~_

She had her music playing and her eyes laser focused on her work. I again saw her biting her lip as she was reading. She had three different colored pens and a highlighter tucked into her hair and had a pencil tucked behind her ear. Do people actually do that? I wonder if she's ever forgotten those in her hair before. Just the mental image made me of her pulling random things out of her hair made me chuckle.

Now I saw she was mouthing the words to the song and her head swayed back and forth. I looked back at the road and almost swerved when my precious silence was broken. “Remind me. Remind me.” Dear God she scared me. Not scared as in her singing is bad she just surprised me. Her singing wasn’t bad at all though. “Remember the airport dropping me off. We were kissing goodbye and we couldn't stop.” She mouthed more lyrics then resumed. “But that meant we had one more night. Do you remember how it used to be. We turned out there lights and we didn't just sleep.” What song was she listening to? “Oh so on fire and so in love. That look in your eyes that I miss so much.” Her hair flipped as she was becoming more involved in the song. “Baby remind me.” She looked so happy and I felt bad that I had to keep my eyes on the road. “Yeah I wanna hold you close.” This must be a song that's a duet. “Oh it you still love me don't just assume I know.” I don't listen to much modern music but I'll have to ask about this song. Maybe Laura would know. “Oh Baby remind me. Remind me.” Her voice was really strong. “Do you remember the way it felt.” I didn't hear her when she sang a few lines then she got louder again. “All those things you used to do that made me fall in love with you. Baby remind me. Remind me.” Her voice few soft again as she kept reading and writing. After that she didn't sing again and twenty minutes rolled by painstakingly slow. I could admit I was bored just looking at nothing but road. At least in the city I could see buildings and people but here all I saw were trees and that's only when they were reflected by the headlights.

She sighed loudly and closed her folder and shoved it into her backpack and spun herself so she laid down on the seats. Must've been a lot for her to take in. She took out her earbuds and closed her eyes clearly frustrated. “Everything okay? Little Bunny?” I said the last part quietly so she couldn’t hear it. I tried it but it sounded too cheesy.

I looked in the mirror again and saw her arms were crossed over her eyes. “I'm fine. That was just a lot of reading. My eyes hurt.”

I wanted to see if I could help but I knew she'd just say no everything's okay. “So your voice is actually pretty good. Do you sing often?”

“Oh damn you actually heard me singing. Now I'm gonna live with the pain of a thousand shames.”

“you shouldn't be ashamed. You’re good.”

“You’re just saying that to be nice.”

“I'm saying it because I'm honest. And I’m also nice.” From what I could see she was smiling a bit. She shot up and sat back in her usual position.

“Alright big cat. Tell me something to distract me from my soon to be shitty day.”

“What do you want to talk about?”

“Well tell me something about your wife.”

She wants to know about Laura? Not very often a stranger asks about her. “Um well we’ve been married for about two years. She’s very, creative. She paints, decorates, bakes cupcakes, and is learning how to play the guitar.”

“Oh that’s cool what’s her style? And does she do acoustic or electric?”

“I think she’s playing country. She wanted to be a country music artist. I’m not sure what her guitar is. It’s big and pretty hollow.”

“An acoustic guitar. What kind does she have?”

“I think it’s called a Harlequin?”

“That’s all you know? Um alright what drew her to this guitar? What are the specs?”

“I’m going to be honest with you. I think she only got it because it was black and white. Almost everything she has and creates are black and white.”

“How monochromatic. She does know color exists right?”

“She considers it her signature style.”

“Hate to break it to her but black and white is not original anymore.”

“Well she uses circles and wavy lines.”

“Oh my bad she’s a real Coco Chanel. Alright how good is she? Has she come up with any original songs?”

“I’m not sure. I haven’t heard her play since she started months ago.”

“Well what about her baking? Does she bake a lot?”

“Not since she made them for the farmers market months ago.”

“And the painting or the decorating?”

I then imagined our black and white house. How everything had holes or waves as the only patterns. “Our house is interesting, and she kind of paints the same thing.”

“So she does things half way is what you’re saying?”

“Well she’ll get back to them eventually. She just needs to be in the right mindset.”

“Well as long as you still love her that’s all that matters.” She smiled again and for a second I forgot we were talking about Laura. “Good news for you is I play guitar too. I can help her with her music. I also bake as a hobby. As for style and décor I’m not too big on. I usually wear denim, pop culture or band t shirts, corsets, and leather. You know whatever’s comfortable.” I remembered from that outfit she wore. She stopped me in my tracks. She has a body that could stop traffic.

“I think she’d appreciate that. Although her style is nothing like yours.”

“Alright next time I’m free we’ll hang out. As for tonight what do you plan on doing while I’m at work.”

“I’m not sure. I was told to not go home so I’ll just stay at the depot. I might just get some sleep.”

“Bad idea. If you go to sleep you’ll throw your whole sleep schedule off. It’s better to keep yourself entertain.”

“I think there’s a TV in the spare room and there might be some books in there.”

“Well how about I do this.” She adjusted things in her backpack and took some things out. “How about I leave my backpack with you. I just read that we need to avoid bringing belongings into the hospital. Also I can’t even bring my lunch. How stupid is that?”

“Wow. That’s very strict, but I can watch your bag for you.”

“Good. Also if you don’t mind either putting my lunch in a fridge or you can eat yourself if you want. It’s just Mexican food I made last night.” Not sure what to say to that. I already had my lunch packed but my stomach was already betraying me. It growled louder than the engine. “Was that you or the chair?” She gave me a devilish smile. Oh she knew how to get me going.

“No I didn’t really have much to eat earlier just a bowl of cereal.”

“Oh that’s just blasphemous. Yeah you better eat my lunch or I will be furious with you.” I thought she was kidding but then I saw her facial expression and she meant business.

“Yes. Ma’am.”

“I like the sound of that.” She gave an evil smile. “I got my laptop in here too and I am giving you permission to use it.”

“Oh I don’t use laptops. Or any other devices.”

“Wait so you don’t own a laptop? Do you have a phone?”

“Nope.”

“A tablet?”

“Don’t have one.”

“Oh you poor unfortunate soul…”

“It’s by choice. I don’t want those things. Laura has them.”

“Oh sure the person that stays home gets all the toys. I’m going to assume she stays at home because no working person has time for all those hobbies. And you the person who is out here especially now in the middle of the night has no phone.” Her voice was getting louder and had a hint of annoyance. “And to hit the nail on the head you’re paying for all of this on top of your bills. Why are you just laying there and taking this?”

She wasn’t wrong but I was becoming defensive anyways. “No she’s not employed. But that’s her choice. She wants to pursue her creativity and I support her in every way.” Why does it matter that I don’t have any sort of device? I see what they do to people. Every time I look up on at the passengers they’re glued to their screens and close themselves off to everyone. I didn’t want to be like that. I wanted to cherish these social interactions. I liked listening to the conversations and seeing their many expressions. Not when they all look like mindless zombies. “It’s also my choice whether I have a phone or not. I don’t need something to entrap me.” I remembered the time when the bus broke down. Yes a phone was necessary then but that doesn’t mean I needed one. “And there is a phone in here so I can call for help no big deal.” For some reason I was starting to get angry. I try avoid anger but she was bringing it out so easily. “Also why do you care what I spend my money on? I pay bills, buy necessities, and buy things for my wife to keep her happy. It’s what a husband is supposed to do. Why does it matter to you? You’ve only known me for a little over an hour so stop digging into my personal life!” I yelled out the last part of that sentence and I felt darkness settling in.

I closed my eyes for a brief second and let out a shaky breath. I avoided looking at her for about five minutes. The next time I looked up in the mirror she was writing something down and had her earbuds back in. Her face was void of any emotion and I was to blame. I now could see the lights from the hospital. She put everything in her bag and stood to leave. She didn’t once look at me as she passed the divider and placed her bag near my stuff. She waited at the doors for me to stop and when I did she slapped the doors for me to open them. I reached over and pushed the buttons and I tried to apologize but she had stormed off.

I closed the doors and pulled out of the hospital and back on to the dark road. So many emotions were going through me and they were all about her. I was angry that she didn’t respect my boundaries, I was feeling guilty because I yelled at her, I was scared because it felt like she was able to read me like an open book, and I felt something heavy and warm because she was angry for me. It was like she was ‘feeling’ for me. I pulled over to the side of the road and opened the door. I was feeling suffocated so I went off the bus to get some much needed air. I looked up and saw the moon shining in all its glory, but it paled in comparison to her smile. It glowed with joy and her evil smile was like fire. That light faded when I yelled at her. I started to feel pain in the pit of my stomach. And there was nothing I could do about it.

I got back on the bus and continued my journey back to the depot. It was now completely silent. No sounds from the rustling plastic, no sounds of her singing to the music, and no sounds of her “secretly” eating snacks from her bag. Kettle chips are the worst to eat when you’re trying to be quiet. When I look up she’s not there and in her place was crumpled plastic. _‘I swear that was not me that was the chair.’_ I grinned to myself. “I’m sorry that I was mean to you. I just have to keep you away. I don’t want anyone getting hurt. I know that if I keep letting you in something’s going to happen. My marriage is rocky at the moment and I’m not even sure if I’m in love with Laura anymore. But I made a vow to be with her through the good and the bad.” I looked at myself in the mirror and my reflection and it mirrored how I was feeling: lost.

The drive to the depot was uneventful. I didn’t think about anything but the road. When I turned off the engine I looked down at her dark gray backpack. Did she still want me to watch her stuff? I didn’t care at this point so I just grabbed the bag and got off. It was strange seeing the place when it was empty. My stomach growled again and I sighed with frustration. I went into the breakroom and took out the container and some papers fell out. “Just my luck.” I picked up the papers and placed them on the table. I turned and put the container in the microwave and let it warm up.

I shuffled through the papers and an envelope slipped out and it said my name on it. It couldn’t be for me. I turned it over and it said: ‘yes this is for you big cat.’ I felt relieved again. I took the time to put everything back in the backpack. The microwave beep and I pulled the container carefully out of the microwave. I sat down and allowed it to cool so I decided to open the envelope. It was about three pages long and the first page was a letter to me.

_Dear Big Cat,_

_I’m sorry if I had upset you at the end. I haven’t known you for very long so I don’t know what your boundaries are. I was a very quiet and shy person not too long ago. I had many emotions that I wanted to express but I couldn’t. So whenever you told me that your wife doesn’t work yet she has all of these trinkets (I am assuming you paid for her guitar too) I felt angry. I’m not even sure if that’s possible but I felt angry for you. I felt like you were getting taken advantage of which I guess I’m wrong. No one would be defensive like that if they didn’t care about the person. So again I apologize._

_I really do want to have a friendship with you and know that I will make mistakes on the way. I’m only human. I would like to know more about you. Your interests, fears, favorite foods, favorite movies, etc. Just know that I will be there for you. Also I am not sorry for expressing your emotions for you. I won’t change that part of me and I hope you will continue being my friend. Now I’m sure you’re wondering what the food is that you’re about to eat. It’s nothing fancy just chicken enchiladas, rice, beans, and there is a bag with a brownie which is my special recipe._

_I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. I know you’re a good person inside and out. You’re exactly the person I need in my life right now. To provide some stability._

_Sincerely, Little Bunny._

_P.S. The next two pages are instructions. One page will tell you all that’s in my backpack. The second page is how to use my laptop. I’ve also included a list of streaming services to watch movies, TV, and listen to music. I’ve also got books on my laptop and have some links to porn sites in case you need some alone time. I just ask that you check in on my animals once in a while. Anything you want to download for later there are some USB drives in the side pocket. If you don’t know how to use it then that’s also in the instructions. Have fun big cat._

She thinks I’d actually watch porn. At my place of work. This woman is strange but I liked how considerate she was. While I ate the food I read through the other two pages in case I did want to use her computer. For recreational purposes. I wandered into the room that was used for emergencies when the weather gets bad. It wasn’t anything special just a bed and a desk with a lamp. I placed the laptop on the desk and sat down adjusting the seat so my knees didn’t hit the desk.

I opened it up carefully not wanting to break it and pressed the button on the side. The screen turned on in less than a minute and I was greeted with the image of a playful Alphonse with Mango on his head. “Oh these two must be trouble.” First thing I did after I made myself familiar with functions (which took me an hour) I went to the application to check on the animals. The screen flickered for a minute then it showed a room which I figured was the living room and, on the couch, laid the large dog and the bird was on a little bed on the arm of the couch. They both were sleeping peacefully and as I was about to close out the dog moved and whimpered. He went on for ten minutes getting louder and louder. Do dogs dream? The bird made its way to him as he cried out.

“Alphonse.” He called out and lifted his leg to tap his tail. “Alphonse it’s mango.” He jumped on his tail and then wrapped his toes/talons around it as Alphonse thrashed around before waking up. Mango was fine and climbed up a frantic Alphonse. “Alphonse it’s mango!” He tapped on his ear. “Alphonse is home not at war.” My heart began to hurt. He dreamt of the war? “Alphonse had nightmare. Alphonse is okay. Mango is here to protect Alphonse.” The dog laid himself back down and Mango grabbed his bed to be closer to him. They both fell back asleep and I was able to close the window. She was right. They were amazing animals. Especially Mango because it’s not easy talking care of a veteran either human or animal.

I kept exploring her computer and I wasn’t finding anything of interest. I didn’t see why people enjoyed these things. They’re a waste of time. I finally managed to find a book that was somewhat interesting. I figured I’d save it on a drive so I could read it later. I grabbed a random drive that had some writing on it and plugged it into the side. The drive popped up on the window and it had a peculiar name. I guess she must name her devices because this one was named ‘baby doll.’ I wonder what was on it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder what's on the little flash drive. Maybe something he shouldn't be seeing? Anyways I love all of the positiive feedback I am receiving for this story. We all love this man and wish him better than what he has. I am looking for some more feedback when it comes to poems (because I can't write poetry to save my life) and also when it comes to smut. What kind of sexual experiences do you want this man to try? Drop me a comment and I'll try to fit it into the story. Thanks again everyone!


	5. The many faces of Paterson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paterson just discovered what it was that was on the drive and has now seen another side of this strong woman who drives him crazy. He's only known her for a day and he's already having so many thoughts and feelings about her. Now we get to take a look inside his mind and experience what it's like in this gentle giant's head. What happens when no one is around?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So anyways know that there is smut in this chapter and quite a bit of it. You get to see another side of this man that we've all been wanting to see. Also don't hate me because I feel like I would be making some readers sad by the end of this chapter. How do I know this? Because I was tearing up just writing it. So don't hate me. I got into the mind of this man and I have to say he has a lot of strength to keep a brave peaceful face on all the time. Also for those who are curious the song is called "Everything I need" by Skylar Grey. It's beautiful and goes well with his meltdown.

** Lean on Me **

**Chapter 5: The Many Faces of Paterson**

I clicked on the drive that said **Baby Doll** on it not knowing what it had on it. Popping up were several files: some were pictures and some were videos. I wasn’t sure what these were but curse the human curiosity I wanted to find out. The first one I clicked on was a picture named **New Kitten**. The window opened up and I was expecting an actual cat but what I saw made my whole-body freeze.

The picture was of (Y/N) with white furry cat ears on, she had a black leather collar on with a little bell, she was in only a black sheer bra, and small lace panties. Her skin didn’t have any tattoos, so it wasn’t taken recently. Her head was tilted to the side and she was leaning back on a white bed. The light danced over her curves and accentuated her perfectly soft and supple breasts. I quickly closed the window before my imagination could run wild.

Were they all like that? Why was she keeping pornographic files of herself? Did someone name her Baby Doll? Not sure what came over me next, but I moved the arrow over to a video file labeled **Kitten Training**. I was either going to appreciate or regret this decision. I clicked on it and the window opened. No sound came out of it and after messing with a few buttons her voice was heard over the speakers. She had her white cat ears, her black collar now had a chain attached to it, and she wore pink lingerie with white stockings. She looked so cute and pure.

The entire video was a sex tape of her being submissive almost like she was a pet. I was turned on by how much of an eager pet she was. How great would it be to see her on her knees begging for my cock? To watch her writhing beneath me as I took her forcefully. To have my fingers entangle in her hair and pulling it to make her submit to me. I never really considered dominating someone. I often put others’ well beings before myself. Even with Laura I did everything she wanted when she wanted. The video was over in fifteen minutes and the still image left on the screen was of her kneeling in front of the camera. She had her mouth open and streams of cum dribbling down her face and into her mouth. Such a good kitten.

I frantically pulled the drive out and then I forgot what I was supposed to click to close everything. The window stayed on the screen and I was fed up with it and just closed the lid. There was so much to process, and I was needing a nap. I still was not accustomed to this schedule. I looked at my watch and it read a quarter past eight. Maybe a quick nap will help and if nothing comes up, I’ll go visit the bar. He said I couldn’t go home he didn’t say I couldn’t go to the bar. I stared at the ceiling for a while thinking about how the whole dominating scenario would occur. Would I prefer her to be completely submissive or do I want her to put up a fight? Memories of her becoming angry for my sake flashed before my eyes. Yes, that fire is what I liked most about her. If she was willingly submissive it wouldn’t be nearly as enjoyable.

_~*~*~*~*Paterson’s Dream*~*~*~*~_

My eyes closed and my mind had turned off for a moment of rest. My vision went white for a moment and suddenly it clears and I’m in the same room only there was a figure in the chair. I sat up and focused on who it was. The hair looked familiar as well as the tattoos, but the outfit was different. “Hello?” No answer was given. “Hello? Can you please turn around?” Again, no reply and I was starting to get annoyed. This must be a dream because I would not lose my patience this quickly. My voice grew louder and more demanding, “I said turn around!”

The person tilted their head and huffed as they slowly turned around. I was met again with those beautiful amber eyes, that long wavy brown hair tied up messily in a ponytail that had tresses falling loosely over her shoulders, smooth golden skin, big perky breasts, and it was all wrapped in a sexy black and purple plaid skirt and a sheer dark purple brassier. Her legs were clad in black stockings and she donned black stilettos. “You dare to speak to me that way? Does the dog not know who his mistress is?” Her legs crossed elegantly, and her hand rested on what I noticed was a collar.

I managed to get up from the bed and stood before her. It’s about time these tables were turned. She was about to speak again but I stopped her before words came from her parted lips. “Silence!” Her mouth closed and her eyes glared. “I didn’t give you permission to speak.” She growled and before she could open her mouth I grabbed ahold of her chin and had her look into my eyes. She tried to wriggle from my grasp, so I used my other hand to go behind her head and keep her steady. “Bad girl. Keep this up and you will be punished. If you play nice, I’ll give you a reward. Do you understand?” She tried to force herself out of my grasp again and my other hand grabbed a handful of her hair and tugged on it making her whimper. “This is your final warning. Do you understand?” Her eyes still glared daggers at me but she managed to nod slightly. “Good girl.” I used the hand that was holding her chin and used my thumb to run across her lower lip. I leaned in and placed a hard-bruising kiss on those delectable lips. I licked her bottom lip asking politely for entrance. She kept her lips tightly shut and so I pulled her hair again making her open her mouth to accept my tongue’s invasion.

She fought me at first, but I could feel her melting under my touches. She moaned as our tongues danced for what felt like an eternity. She tasted like fresh strawberries and her lips were as soft as silk. I pulled out of her mouth and then with my teeth I nipped at her bottom lip causing her to moan. I sucked on her lower lip for a bit before releasing her. I stood up and backed up to the bed and took a seat. I stared at her as she was panting and trying to cover herself from me. “Did I say you could cover yourself?” My voice came out with a low growl.

“No.” She said with annoyance painted on her face.

“Excuse me?” I said giving off my dominant aura.

“I meant to say. No master.” She spoke through clenched teeth. Oh, it was killing her to submit to me. I loved it.

“Good girl. Come.” I ordered and waved for her to come stand in front of me.

“I’m not a damn dog.” She snarled at me and stood her ground.

“No, you’re not. But that collar around your neck means you’re mine. Now I’m being really kind to you and giving you so many chances but next time you disobey there will be a punishment.” Again, I motioned for her to come and stand in front of me. “Rewards are only for good girls.”

She huffed again and stood up from the chair and stumbled on the dagger heeled shoes. She got angry and took off the shoes throwing them at the wall with a loud bang. That was it. “Come here!” I yelled and it made her flinch. She slowly made her way to stand in front of me. Her body was shaking, and I wasn’t sure if it was from fear or from pleasure. Without evening thinking my hand rose and reached around striking her soft ass. She yelped and a few tears sprang to her eyes. “Next time I’ll make it hurt. Now go put your shoes away neatly.” She nodded softly and walked away to grab her shoes and placed them neatly next to the desk. When she bent over I got a good look at her ass and the pink hue that was on her right cheek. Oh, there was more where that came from. This bad girl needed some serious reforming.

She stood back up and turned to me. I gestured for her to stand in front of me and she stepped forward giving me full view of her juicy breasts. “Do you have anything to say to me?”

She nodded slightly and spoke, “I’m sorry… Master…” Those words lit the fire inside of me. This goddess of a woman was now bent to my will. To do with as I pleased.

“You are forgiven.” I reached out to her hips and made her get closer. I wrapped my hands around the back of her thighs and spread them as I moved her forward and seated her on my lap. She squeaked when she felt my cock hardened at the heat coming from her pussy. “Is my pet excited for her gift?” I asked as I moved my hips rubbing my cock against her. She whimpered as she buried her face in my shirt. I tilted my head to whisper in her ear, “Now don’t hide your face from me pet. Show me that beautiful expression.” I nibbled on her earlobe and she gasped grinding herself against me. I gripped her hips and made her still and released her lobe. I placed a kiss just below her ear along her jaw. “Now, now little bunny. No need to rush this. I haven’t had my fill yet.”

As I kissed down her neck I reached around with one hand and unclasped her bra. I broke away and leaned her back Taking it off with ease. I kissed up the other side of her neck and grasped her left breast causing her to breath to hitch. I placed kisses along her jaw before I went in for another passionate kiss. She turned her head away from me and closed her eyes tightly. Oh, she still had some fight left in her. I reached over and slapped her ass harder than before. She cried out in pain and I grabbed her chin turning her back to me. “Little bunny doesn’t want to kiss me?” She shook her head slightly. “That hurts my feeling. I do nothing but treat you like the queen you are. I can’t get a kiss?” She still shook her head. “Why?” She didn’t speak and I tugged on her hair. “Speak.”

“Because my lips still hurt.” She growled out.

I loosened my hold on her hair and looked at her lips that were bruised and had a slight cut. I ran my thumb along her lip. “I’m sorry little bunny. I’ll be gentler.” I placed a softer kiss on her lips. She still flinched but ended up kissing me back. We stayed in that moment until we were both out of breath. “Better?”

“Yes master.” She whispered still catching her breath.

“Good. Now I can get back to my meal.” I spent the next half hour devouring her body from her warm lips, to her perky breasts, her skilled hands, her soft ass, and even had a taste of her sweet nectar. I was ready for the next course. “My little bunny feeling good right now?” Her eyes were glossed over, and she nodded slightly. “Good.”

She looked back at me and she took me by surprise. “Now it’s time for me to make my master feel good.” Before I could get in a word, she was already unbuttoning my shirt. Not sure if it was because of the role I was playing or because I was uncomfortable with her undressing me. I grabbed her hands stopping them from doing their tasks.

“I can undress myself. You may kneel on the floor and wait like a good girl.” She slipped off my lap and knelt down and tilted her head making this cute face. How I wanted to defile it and make her scream my name. I quickly rid myself of my clothing and she shifted forward but then stopped. She looked up at me waiting for my command. “Such an obedient pet. You’re such a good girl.” I gripped my cock and stroked it a little bit giving her a good look at what she really wanted. “You want this?” She looked me in the eyes and bit her already bruised lip and nodded slightly. “What do you say?”

“Master may I please have my reward?”

“What’s your reward? Ask again.”

“Master may I please have your hot stiff cock?”

“Where would you like it?”

“In my mouth.” I raised an eyebrow to her. “Please?”

“Good girl.” Before I let her come and pleasure me, I reached back and grabbed the pillow and placed it in front of me. I’m her master not a monster. “Come get your reward.” She moved to be kneeling on the pillow and she placed her hands on my cock. I flinched but that’s because her hands were cold. She mouthed that she was sorry, and I just waved for her to keep going. Her hands worked wonders as she stroked my cock up and down. “Use your mouth.”

She did her little head tilt and leaned forward. “You mean like this?” She licked the head of my cock and shivers went up my spine. “Or like this?” She kissed the head and opened her mouth and took the tip in. I hissed at the sensation as she took her mouth off licking her lips.

“You either play nice or I’m going to punish you.”

Her evil smile appeared again, and she took my cock back in her mouth. I leaned back and relished in her warmth. She licked and sucked my cock until it was slick. Her hands went back to work, and her tongue became busy swirling around the head. She pulled her mouth off and she made a snarky remark. “Seems master is becoming tamed. Did master lose his edge?” She smiled again and put my cock back in her mouth. I grabbed her hair and pushed her head forward to take my cock in further. I heard her gag and kept pushing her until it was all in. I stayed there for a minute before letting her go. She pulled back and coughed. I smirked at her as she fought to catch her breath. “Are you fucking psycho? I couldn’t breathe.”

“No, I don’t think I’m a psycho just a guy teaching his pet a lesson. Are you going to continue being bad?”

“No.”

“No what?”

“No master. I’ll be good.”

“Good girl. Continue.” She went back to work sucking my cock putting on a show for me. She took me in deeply a few times this time there was minimal choking. She was moving faster, and I could feel myself on the edge. I grabbed her hair again to keep her still as I thrusted into her throat a few times and I felt myself cum in her mouth. She winced as I shot cum in the back of her throat. “Swallow.” I pulled out a bit so she could swallow my load. She licked my cock clean and suckled out what little was left. I pulled out of her mouth and I felt better defiling her.

I pulled her up into my lap and nuzzled myself into her neck. I took in her scent which right now smelled like the air after a light rainfall. I kissed her neck again softly and mumbled. “Who do you belong to?”

“To you my master. Only to you.”

“And I belong to you.”

I gripped her tighter not wanting to let her go because then this dream would end, and I would go back to that world where I felt I had no purpose. No meaning. Like if I was gone nobody would care. Nobody would miss me.

“I would miss you.” My misty eyes looked up into her brown gems. She gave me the most peaceful smile that warmed me to my very soul. I laid my head on her chest right over her heart. Hearing the melodic beats soothed me as tears were now streaming from my eyes. She hummed a song that I didn’t recognize but it made me feel safe. It made me feel whole.

I wasn’t sure what to do next and I felt something was caught in my throat. It finally freed itself and before I knew it words had escaped in the form of a whisper. “I love you.” My eyes widened as they left my lips, and everything disappeared around me and darkness emerged. Fear built up in me as she was not there anymore. I was alone. I hugged my knees to my chest and buried my face in them. I was hiding from them: the shadows, the voices, the screams, the explosions, the faces, and the cries. They had found me and attacked my mind punishing me for what all I had done. I tightened my grip on my legs until my knuckles were white. I was sobbing now begging for them to stop. I apologized but it didn’t help. They grew louder and louder until I screamed out for help.

They were drowned out by the sound of a piano. A soft melody was playing, and the darkness shattered as a bright light was shining through and opening. I reached out to the light desperately trying to be freed. A soft hand came through and touched my hand. The darkness completely shattered and disappeared leaving only warm light. I turned to the direction of the hand but then everything disappeared including myself.

_~*~*~*~*End Dream*~*~*~*~_

I woke up in a cold sweat. I shot up from the bed fighting hard to catch a breath. I had to remind myself that I was safe and that I wasn’t at war. I ran my hand through my hair calming myself down then I heard that piano again. I turned and the sound was coming from the laptop. I got up slowly composing myself and I went back to the desk. A voice came from it and when I opened the lid my heartbeat sped up. It was her sitting at a piano pressing on the keys making this serene melody.

_‘Born on the wrong side of the ocean. With all the tides against you. You never thought you'd be much good for anyone, but that's so far from the truth.’_ She looked up and it felt like she was looking at me. _‘I know there's pain in your heart and you're covered in scars. Wish you could see what I do.’_ She was wrong. Her voice was beautiful; like the voice of an angel. _'Cause baby, everything you are, is everything I need. You're everything to me. Baby, every single part is who you're meant to be. 'Cause you were meant for me, and you're everything I need.’_ My eyes were beginning to water. _‘You can say I'm wrong. You can turn your back against me, but I am here to stay.’_ Would she though? Would she staying knowing all I’ve done? ‘ _Like the sea, she keeps kissing the shoreline no matter how many times he pushes her away.’_ I have to keep pushing you away. If I don’t everyone will get hurt. Nothing good can come from this. _‘'Cause baby, everything you are is everything I need. You're everything to me. Baby, every single part is who you're meant to be. 'Cause you were meant for me-.’_ You don’t want me! Nobody wants me! They want the perfect quiet man not the real me! I closed my eyes tightly shut and gripped my hair as I yelled as loud as I could. I didn’t care if anyone could hear me. _‘And everything happens for a reason. It's all a blessing in disguise. I used to question who I was.’_ I looked back up at the screen my eyes reddened as I sobbed. ‘ _Well now I see the answer is in your eyes.’_ Those eyes looked at me filled with hope. Was there hope for me? _'Cause baby, everything you are is everything I need. You're everything to me. Baby, every single part is who you're meant to be. 'Cause you were meant for me and you're everything I need.’_ The piano melody faded out and she looked at me still smiling and I was able to smile back. I folded my arms on the desk and laid my head down. “Please save me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what do you think? Did anyone shed a tear for our soft boy? I figured this was going on in his mind every time he slept. How he felt when he took the gun from Everett or how he felt when his bus broke down. An internal sense of panic that he was able to silence in order to do what he needed to do. What happens when he does finally break down? Hope every enjoyed it and I will try to update this story soon.


	6. Misery Loves Company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here is another non-sexual chapter from what happens during the rest of the night. What happens if this man manages to see you at your weakest point? Do you let him in to help fix you? Or do you just shut him out completely? You've been hurt before and carry scars on your heart. Paterson also receives advice from Doc on his current situation. On whether it's right to keep this mysterious woman around or if he should break it off. Whether he was still in love with Laura or whether it was just because he didn't want to be alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so there is some cheesiness going on in this chapter and yes he does sing. I had a hard time figuring out what song he could sing then I remembered Adam's SNL sketch and decided why not do a whole new world? That's exactly where you were in a whole new world together. Please enjoy this chapter and keep leaving me some reviews. They are what fuel my writing.

**Alright so there is some cheesiness going on in this chapter and yes he does sing. I had a hard time figuring out what song he could sing then I remembered Adam's SNL sketch and decided why not do a whole new world? That's exactly where you were in a whole new world together. Please enjoy this chapter and keep leaving me some reviews. They are what fuel my writing. And as always I do not own these characters besides a selected few.**

** Lean On Me **

**Chapter 6: Misery Loves Company**

_~*~*~*~*Paterson’s POV*~*~*~*~_

I sat there for another five minutes when a sound came from the computer. I looked up and saw that someone was calling the computer. It read as **My Phone** but I wasn’t sure who it could be. It continued to ring three more times before I decided to click the on the green button hoping it was the right one. The window grew and a little light turned on near the top of the lid. suddenly her face popped up and she was wearing a mask. “Hey.” She said in a muffled voice. “Shit.” She must’ve realized she still had it on and removed it. “Sorry I forgot I had it on. I’m on a quick break and decided to call.” She messed with her hair and untied the ponytail. She shook her head side to side and let the tresses fall over her shoulders. “Whew that ponytail was giving me a headache. Anyways hey big cat how are my-.” She stopped talking and moved the screen closer to her. “What’s wrong?”

“Uh. Nothing’s wrong. Why would there be anything wrong?” I shifted my head to wipe my eyes.

“Your eyes are red and swollen. Have you been crying?”

“Yeah…”

“Well. What happened?”

I had to come up with something quick and remembered I had another window open to a streaming service. I glanced over and said the first thing that I saw. “I just finished watching a movie. Called **Marley and Me**.” I lied my ass off and hoped that the movie had a sad scene in it.

Her face was serious for a bit then it softened. “Oh my gosh that movie made me cry too. I mean the dog was rambunctious at the beginning but he was still a good dog when it counts. When they had to put him down I broke inside. I mean it’s natural that one day a dog any dog will eventually die. I swear when my animals die I will not be the same. They’re such amazing creatures and so pure of heart. It destroys me when they die.” She was now tearing up a little.

“Whoa little bunny it’s okay. Alphonse and Mango are fine. Yes it was a very sad ending.” I’ve never actually seen the movie but now that I mentioned now I had to watch it.

“You checked on them? How are they?”

“They’re fine. Alphonse had a nightmare but Mango did a good job diffusing the situation.”

“Well that’s good. Ever since Alphonse came home he’s been having those dreams every so often. I wasn’t able to help him at first but when I got Mango he knew what to do.”

“Well he has himself a great friend. I also understand what Alphonse is going through. The military is different for each individual but the effects are about the same.”

“So you have nightmares too?”

My breath hitched as I recalled the ending part of my dream. The voices and the faces haunted me even now. “Rarely these days. With Laura by my side I don’t really have them anymore.” That was a lie. I still had them and not even feeling Laura beside me helped. She wouldn’t try to wake or comfort me believing it wouldn’t help in the long run. How would that not help me?

She looked at me again and gave me the look. Like she knew I fibbing. “I know you’re lying but I’m going to let it go for now. Just know that if this is going to be a real friendship we need to establish some trust.”

Oh great here comes the guilt. “I know I’m sorry. I am learning more and more on what it’s like to have a friend.” Sure Doc and the others were considered my friends but none of them knew much about me besides the basics. Even Laura knew very little and I married her. “I promise you that eventually I will be completely honest with you.”

She smiled again. “Good because I hope that-.” Before she could finish her sentence an alarm blared over the intercom. The automatic voice repeated **_Code Blue_** repeatedly. I guess she thought she hung up before putting her phone in her pocket. The screen went dark and the sounds were muffled as she got closer to the emergency. I was about to hang up but again my curiosity got the best of me.

All I could do was listen to all that was going on. There were alarms blaring and people shouting. Her voice was the only one I could hear clearly. I could hear her shouting orders for someone to do compressions, someone to bag the patient (give them air), and someone to push medication. Then I heard some shuffling and she was counting from one to thirty. Out of nowhere some shouted **Clear!** The I heard something rise and fall. Then everything went quiet as there was a long drawn out beep. Then I heard her sigh and say, “Time of death: twenty-one thirty (9:30 pm military time.)

I heard some more shuffling, heavy doors slamming, and the sound of her running. Her breathing became heavy and shallow. A loud thud was heard followed by a loud high pitched scream echoing. “(Y/N)?” I heard soft cries coming from the device. Her sobs grew stronger by the second and I was frustrated because I could help her. I couldn’t take away her pain. “(Y/N)!” I shouted loud enough hoping she would hear me. I then heard sniffling and she shuffled in her pocket pulling out the phone. I was met with her grief stricken face. “(Y/N)? What happened?”

“I. I…” Tears rolled again. “I lost a patient…” She held back a loud sob and silently cried.

Don’t people die everyday? Someone working at a hospital is bound to experience a death of a patient. Wait. What was I thinking? Just because she sees it a lot doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt. The weight they all carry when lives are on the line. It comes crashing down when the monitor reads zero. “I’m sorry. I can’t imagine the pain you must be feeling.”

“It’s fine. It happens all the time. I just need a minute to collect myself then I can continue my shift. I guess you can say that’s my routine.” She gave a small smile as she wiped her eyes. I guess we both looked pretty miserable now.

If only we weren’t in real time. If only it was possible to take one moment, one single moment, and make it last an eternity. There we can remain and live while the world remains frozen in time. Nothing can hurt us in our own little paradise. It would be like a whole other world. The light bulb in my head shined bright. “Can you spare five minutes?”

“Sure. That’s about how much I have left on my break.”

I went to work clicking around the computer. I might not be computer literate but I took some time earlier to play around with it. I pulled up the website that had access to her music. I went to a playlist that was labeled as Disney and clicked on a song. The melody played and I could have sworn I saw a hint of a smile. I wasn’t a good singer but in this moment she needed me so I pushed my insecurities aside. **“I can show you the world. Shining, shimmering, splendid. Tell me, princess, now when did you last let your heart decide?”** New tears formed but didn’t fall. They were tiny diamonds in the corners of her eyes. **“I can open your eyes. Take you wonder by wonder. Over, sideways and under on a magic carpet ride.”** She wanted me to be prepared well here I was. Prepared to make a fool of myself. **“A whole new world. A new fantastic point of view. No one to tell us, ‘No’ or where to go. Or say we're only dreaming.”**

 _“A whole new world. A dazzling place I never knew. But when I'm way up here it's crystal clear that now I'm in a whole new world with you.”_ There it was. The voice of an angel.

For that moment it felt like we weren’t communicating through screens. It felt like we were in the same space just the two of us. **“Now I'm in a whole new world with you.”**

 _“Unbelievable sights. Indescribable feeling.”_ She angled the phone and lifted her arms as if she was flying. _“Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling through an endless diamond sky. A whole new world.”_ She covered her eyes and I laughed and remembered that was my cue. **“Don’t you dare close your eyes.”** I mimicked as if I was uncovering her eyes. _“A hundred thousand things to see._ **Hold your breath, it gets better.** _I'm like a shooting star, I've come so far. I can't go back to where I used to be.”_

This was our own little world and nothing can get inside. **“A whole new world.** _Every turn a surprise._ **With new horizons to pursue.** _Every moment, red-letter.”_ This was the most amazing feeling I’ve ever felt. Making this woman smile was my only mission right now. As far as I could tell I was succeeding. _**“I'll chase them anywhere. There's time to spare. Let me share this whole new world with you.”**_

If I was with her I would be holding her close. Ensuring her that everything would be okay. **“A whole new world.** _A whole new world._ **That's where we'll be.** _That's where we'll be._ **A thrilling chase.** _A wondrous place.”_ We looked deep into each others eyes. This was our moment and we could make it last forever if we wanted to. **_“For you and me.”_**

The song ended and reality came back to ruin our paradise. “Thank you, Paterson. This really did help me a lot. I feel better now.” She looked to the upper part of her screen and her eyes rolled. “Sorry my break is over. I have to get back. I’ll see you in nine hours alright?”

“Hold on I wanted to ask you something.”

“Go for it.”

“Would you like to-.” What was the correct phrase? Have dinner? No that sounds like a date. Go to a movie? Again, sounds like a date. Get a drink? What if she doesn’t drink? What would she like to do? She said she liked music, baking, and dancing. Well I can’t play an instrument, I can’t bake, and I am a horrible dancer. I’m not into going shopping either and I didn’t feel like being pulled by Marvin to a dog park. Screw it I just asked. “Would you like to hang out some time? When you’re available?”

“Sure. I think based on my schedule I am free this weekend. I can drop by your place and give your wife some guitar lessons.” Oh so when I say hang out she thinks it automatically means ‘I want you to give my wife free lessons’ and what not. “My boyfriend should be on call that day so he can bring me by and hang out until he gets called in.”

She. Has. A. Boyfriend? My heart was hurting again but I didn’t show it on my face. I swallowed the lump that was in my throat. “Great. I’m sure she’ll love that. We’ll cook a nice meal.” We? Laura would probably try to cook something weird. So I guess I will have to cook that day. “How about Saturday around three?”

She clicked a few times before responding back. “Sounds great. I’ll bring dessert.” I hope it was as sweet as her. “Alright I got to go. Thank you again. For saving me.” Oh that smile was going to kill me some day.

“No problem. Don’t work too hard alright?”

“I won’t Big Cat. And you don’t get lost on a magic carpet ride.” She giggled and waved goodbye to me before she hung up. My heart was confused in so many different ways. _“I love you.”_ Why did I say that? I get it was a dream but I still said it. Is that considered cheating? Well there’s only one person I could ask. I looked at my watch and it read nine forty-five. When I shifted to stand, I felt something strange and oddly sticky. I looked down. “Dammit.” My first night and I had a wet dream. My luck was really bad today.

Luckily, I always kept a spare uniform in my locker in case of bad weather. I also had a toiletry bag because there was a shower in the locker room. It was something I picked up in the military always be prepared. Or did I pick that up from the scouts? Now was not the time to recall an age-old memory.

I grabbed my things and looked everywhere for a towel and surprisingly there was a turquoise towel in (Y/N)’s bag. Why did she have one I was not in the mood to ask. I jumped into the shower and was good to go in ten minutes. Her towel smelled like it was freshly washed and it was very soft. I didn’t have a comb or anything, so I did my best to comb it with my fingers. When I felt I was ready I zipped up my jacket and went to put her bag in a safe place. Before I left it I decided to take her wallet out and keep it on me. I felt better knowing it was safe on my person and then I put the bag in my locker.

I decided to grab the small music device she had and the red earbuds to entertain myself on my walk. I pressed play and soft piano played in my ears. I exited the depot and made sure to press the button to ensure the place was securely locked until my return.

I walked through the dark streets and it felt different when now than they were before. The music gave them life and more personality. It also made the trip so much shorter. Probably because I was walking at the same pace as the music. I looked down at my watch and it read a little past ten. Good thing this was a bar so it wouldn’t close for another three hours. I walked through the door and was greeted by Doc. “Hey Paterson! I thought you wouldn’t be coming by anymore?”

“I wasn’t but I was bored at the depot.” I sat at my usual stool and looked around. Marie was still here but now she was alone. Everett came out of the restroom and sat down at the bar also alone. They started talking but now instead of fighting they laughed like they were friends again. Doc put my beer in front of me and I relaxed.

“Isn’t it a little past your bedtime?”

I looked back at my watch. “By about an hour and a half.” I chuckled and sipped on my beer.

“So, how’s the new assignment going?”

“It’s not as bad as I expected. The only bad part is having all this time and nothing to do with it.”

“This is why you need a hobby. Learn a new skill or something.”

“I’ll remember that for tomorrow night.” I took another sip and looked into the glass.

“So how is the person? What are they like?”

“She. Is an enigma.”

“Ah so she’s a hard ass.” He cackled and wiped down the bar top.

“No. Not necessarily. She’s actually very interesting. She has a lot of personality and she’s very honest.”

“Doc you’re not asking the important question.” Marie came and sat on a stool closer to me and Doc left to get her another drink. “How does she look?” Doc rushed back over to listen in on my answer.

“Well she’s a little cute.”

“A little cute? So, does she have an ugly face but nice body or the other way around? Or is it a whole she’s ugly but has a beautiful mind?”

I took a sip at the wrong time and I nearly choked. What kind of question was that? She’s cute and there’s nothing more to it. “She’s pretty. I’m not sure how else to describe her.”

“Do you have a picture of her on your phone?” Everett asked as he sat on the stool on the opposite side of me.

“Oh no Paterson doesn’t have a phone. He doesn’t like them.”

“Okay phone aside do you have anything of hers?”

“I mean I have her music device and I am holding on to her wallet.” I pulled out the items and placed them on bar. Marie picked up the wallet and was about to open it. “No. No you don’t need to open it.”

“I’m just looking for an ID. It’ll have her picture on it.” She opened it and immediately there was a picture behind the clear plastic window. It was of her holding a small child in her arms. He looked to be a toddler and looked similar to her. Was that her child? “Oh my God Paterson she’s gorgeous.”

Everett peaked over and saw the picture and he made an expression of attraction. “Wow. She’s a vision in blue.”

Finally They turned and showed the picture to Doc and he whistled. “Now she’s a fine piece.”

I held my hand out for her to give me back the wallet but instead she pulled out the cards and whatever else was hiding in the wallet. “So she doesn’t carry any cash. Smart girl. She’s got store cards specifically for a music store, a coffee shop, a lingerie shop, and a pet shop. She’s a busy girl.” She then pulled out a movie ticket. “She’s also seen a movie recently. A horror double feature. So she likes things scary.” Then she pulled out her license. “Alright here’s the good stuff. She’s twenty-six, from Texas, and she’s an organ donor. How kind.”

Doc could see I was not liking this snooping around. “Alright Marie you’ve done your snooping now give the wallet back. I’m sure this young lady doesn’t want us all knowing her private life.” Marie apologized and put everything back in the wallet before returning it to me.

I turned it over now realizing what was on the other side. It looked like a crest with a lion in the center. “Oh wonderful she’s a Harry Potter fan.” Everett looked over my shoulder at the wallet. Everyone had looked at him like he grew a third head. “Well the lion design it’s the symbol of Gryffindor. It’s one of the four houses from Harry Potter. It’s a book series that has been turned into movies. It has a huge fanbase.”

Harry Potter? So she’s a fan of these books. I’ve heard of them before but haven’t really read them. I’ll have to look into them one day. I placed the wallet back in my pocket. Marie tried to reach over and pick up the music device but I had already swiped it and put it in my other pocket. I had enough of them peaking into her life. She nodded her head and announced. “I guess that means it’s time for me to head home.” She got up and paid Doc before she went to the door. Everett had joined her so she didn’t have to walk home alone.

“Seems like those two have repaired their friendship.” I just nodded and took another drink from my beer. I looked into it the glass and found myself staring at the foam. Doc was playing a game of chess and everyone had already cleared out for the evening. It was almost eleven thirty on a Thursday night and the place was a ghost town. I’ve never been out here this late so I never got to see this side of the night. “I know what you’re thinking Paterson. This place does get dead this time of night. On the weekdays there aren’t that many customers coming in except for the occasional drunk looking for their last few drinks of the night. I usually close around midnight just because it’s pointless to stay open. Now on the weekends is when this place is a little livelier.” I nodded my head and looked up at the wall decorated in new paper clippings, old photographs, and a few autographed headshots. “So Paterson you seem like you’ve got a chip on your shoulder.”

Am I that obvious? Or is it because I am the only one in here to be observed. “So you can tell just from a side glance?”

“No. I could tell because of how you reacted when Marie had the wallet. Also when she tried to grab that little music player. So since we’re alone here what’s on your mind?”

I took another swig from my beer and mustering up the courage to speak. “Doc. Have you ever thought of other women?”

“Besides my wife?” I nodded slightly. Doc started cackling again. “When you’ve been married as long as I have it’s considered strange if you don’t think about other women. Me personally yes I think about lots of women. Especially the ones that come in here. Does it mean I’m cheating on my wife? Of course not. It’s just nice to think about what another woman would be like. Some of the girls that come in here are young, vibrant, and are eccentric with their appearances. Doesn’t mean I love my wife any less.”

“Do you ever imagine other things with these women?”

“Like sex?” I looked back down at my glass. If I don’t look at him I won’t feel embarrassed. “It’s happened a few times but not since I was younger. Are you thinking of other women?” I kept my head down but managed a slight nod. “Paterson it’s completely natural. It means nothing wrong. On a very rare occasion it means you’re missing something that you want.”

After finishing my beer I placed my head on the bar. Feeling exhaustion. “Doc. This woman that I imagine. I don’t even know her… Yet I want to protect her. Protect her from all the bad, including me. She’s different than what I’m used to. I felt different when I was near her.”

“I take it we’re talking about wallet girl?” I raised my hand and made a thumbs up. “Paterson you can imagine other girls but you shouldn’t imagine her. You work together. If you mix business and pleasure it just makes everything messy.”

“What should I do?” I looked at Doc again needing some guidance.

“Keep some distance between you both. The closer you get the more the imagination becomes a temptation.”

“So I can’t even be friends with her?”

“Only when you can assure yourself that it will be nothing more. Otherwise you hurt this girl and more importantly your wife.” That was something I didn’t want. I heard (Y/N) cry earlier and I didn’t want to be the reason for her to cry.

“Should I tell Laura about this?”

“Hell no. Paterson that’s a death sentence.”

“But I’m supposed to be honest with her.” There are a lot of things I wasn’t honest about.

“Yes be honest but about simple things like food, furniture, movies, etc. Not about having sexual fantasies about someone you work with. That’s anarchy.”

“I guess you’re right. I can’t even tell her that I dislike her cooking.” The haunting images of the Brussel sprout and cheese pie came to mind. Made me feel queasy.

“That’s the burden of being a newly wedded man. You want to keep her happy but you’ll soon learn that a marriage is a two way street. It’s good to be honest but you have to pick your battles.”

“You’re right Doc.”

“Also Paterson. If you feel unhappy in your marriage. That’s usually the battle to go with. Are you unhappy?”

“Of course not. I love Laura.”

“You might love her but are you still in love with her?”

“I.” He looked at me wanting the truth. What was the truth anymore? “I don’t know. So much has happened since we got married that I’m not sure about anything.”

“Well it looks like you have some things to sort out. Until then keep this girl as away from you as possible both mentally and emotionally.”

“How will I know? How exactly am I supposed to know that I still love her? Or that she still loves me?”

“I’m not the person to ask. When I was dating the only advice I got was from a movie. They used the car test.”

“Car test?”

“Yeah you know when you pick up a girl for a date and you open the door for her to let her in. While you are walking back around to your door if she unlocks it and opens it for you then she is the one.”

“Sounds trivial.”

“It is. But my wife opened my door for me and it told me that she thought of me as an equal. Well at the beginning at least.”

“That wouldn’t work in this day and age. I walk pretty much everywhere and cars are opened with the clickers.”

“Well you can open it still with a key. You can either do the car test or simply announce that you’re quitting your job for no reason. If she supports you then it was meant to be if she argues with you over it then she’s not the one for you.”

“That seems pretty petty don’t you think?”

“You got any better ideas?”

“None whatsoever.” I got up and pulled out the device. “I’ll see you tomorrow Doc.”

“Have a good night Paterson.” Before I could put in the earbuds he spoke the wisest piece of advice that I needed to hear. “Don’t let yourself suffer silently. No matter who it is with. You must find your peace.” The flashbacks from my nightmare came back and a darkness loomed over me again. “I’ve never been a military man so I don’t know of the burden you carry. However I do know that whoever you decide to be with; she should be strong enough to catch you whenever you fall. I guess that could be your ultimate test.”

I nodded to him and waved goodbye as I stepped out into the chilly air. The song that came on was a more upbeat pop song. I was fine with it because I needed something to keep my spirits up as I made my way back to the depot. I wonder how (Y/N) was holding up. She had a little more than half her shift left. I hope she’s still keeping in good spirits.

_~*~*~*~* Your POV*~*~*~*~_

“Alright, (Y/N) you’re up next to take your lunch break. There are some sandwiches in the breakroom and some drinks. You’ve got thirty minutes.” I got up and tiredly walked over to the break room. I’m not used to these night shifts so with my battling sleep schedule and the stress from these new policies I’m so wiped.

I got to the breakroom and saw the sad sandwich display so I skipped out on that and just grabbed a root beer and some chips. I looked through my phone and was considering if I should check on Paterson or not. I wondered if he watched anymore movies. I should have given him a short list of movies especially since he liked Marley and Me. I clicked on the app to make a video call to him and it rang for a while but no answer. That is strange. Maybe he’s taking a nap or checking on the animals. I guess I would try to call him again later.

I sat there watching some sitcom rerun on TV. I preferred this over watching the news or HGTV. Why do they watch that? It’s the same thing over and over again. Couple wants to renovate their house or buy a new house, they both had the strangest occupations and somehow have a big budget, they are shown houses and renovations, and then they couple decides after adding some unnecessary storylines for dramatic effect. I was halfway through an episode of Friends when I heard footsteps approaching the entrance.

The door opened and two female coworkers came in and grabbed their lunches and sat at one of the adjacent tables. They complained about their days and how they felt it was unfair that they had to work in this unit. I did my best to tune them out and tried to call him again and just as before I didn’t get a response. The two girls suddenly turned their attention to me. “Trying to call your boyfriend? The hot bulky one with the hair?” Said the girl with the platinum blonde hair.

“No. It’s late at night he’s going to be asleep. Why would I call him?”

“Well who are you calling?”

Why do they care? They’re not my family nor are they my friends. “I don’t think that’s any of your business.”

“Oh miss (Y/N) gets special treatment now she thinks she’s the queen of this place.”

“Yup I heard the city she lives in had to bend over backwards just to get her a ride to work for her every shift. Like this place would fall apart if she wasn’t around.” Said the girl with the blue/pink hair.

“You both keep talking. Doesn’t bother me.”

“A little birdie told me that you were late to the code earlier because you were talking to someone on your phone. Just imagine if you were more alert and prepared the patient would still be alive.” I shot the blonde a burning death glare.

“Oh Bridgett I think you struck a nerve. But you’re not wrong. If she wasn’t focused on that guy she would’ve done her magic and the baby would still be alive.” The blue/pink girl spat the last of her sentence out. I could feel my anger was going to boil over then my phone was buzzing. I looked and saw it was my computer. “Looks like she’s gonna cry to her side piece.” They both made mocking crying noises and I rolled my eyes.

I got up and walked back to the lockers and they both got louder calling me a baby. I answered the call and Paterson’s face came on the screen. “Hey sorry I didn’t answer earlier. I stopped at the bar and got a beer.” He smiled sweetly at me and I could hear the two bratty girls only getting louder hoping he would hear. “What’s that crying in the background? Are you alright?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Are you sure? You can talk to me about anything.”

“Stop it.”

“Stop what? What did I do wrong? Let me help you.”

“Stop trying to fix everything.” My body shook and I could hear his voice. His deep demanding voice that haunts my soul. **_‘You’re so pathetic. You’re weak. You’re worthless. I always have to come and fix your problems for you. You’re incapable of helping anyone. You think you can be on your own? You think you can last days without me? You’re nothing without me. It’s all your fault!’_** I gasped for air and nearly dropped my phone.

“What’s wrong? (Y/N)?” Before he could speak again I hung up. Not knowing if he would try to call back I turned off my phone. During these times I yearned to be able to talk to Michael, but I knew he was probably sleeping. He had to be at the station first thing in the morning otherwise he would’ve been awake with me. I can’t rely on him for everything though. We’ve only been going out for five months and already I feel like he’ll grow tired of me.

What the hell was I thinking? This man moved from Hawaii all the way out here just to be with me. To help me with my life change. I should be able to rely on him. But that man’s face and his voice have scarred me for at least the rest of my life.

I looked at the clock in the locker room and decided it was time to head back for the rest of my shift. This time no distractions and no loss of time. I don’t what those girls had to say but I was going to prove my worth. Not through words or money but with my skills and my fiery ambition.

_~*~*~*~*Paterson’s POV*~*~*~*~_

After she hung up on me I tried to contact her again several times but there was no answer. It wasn’t just me right? She looked genuinely scared. I could feel my palms begin to sweat but I could not just sit there and worry. She told me not to.

I spent the next few hours watching movie after movie. I did end up watching Marley and Me first. She was right. I bawled my eyes out at the end. Why do they make these movies intentionally sad? Do they want us to go out and get an animal? I felt strongly about going out and getting a dog. Then I realized that technically my household already had a dog even though I don’t like him. I watched a few more of the dog movies on her list and there was one that I liked: it was an older movie called Beethoven. It’s about a big dog that’s kind, cute, cuddly, and protective. Kind of reminded me of someone; I just didn’t know who. ( **Spoiler alert it’s him**.)

The hour practically flew by and next thing I knew a door was opening up. I nearly fell out of the chair startled by the sudden noise. I looked at my watch and it read five thirty in the morning. Donny was probably coming in to get the routes ready.

I packed everything back up neatly in her bag, made up the bed I was laying in, and made sure everything was how I found it. I smoothed out my uniform and fixed my hair before heading out to the main floor. Donny was walking by the buses checking to make sure everything was in working order. “Morning Paterson.”

“Morning Donny.” I walked over to my bus and placed everything back on and sat in my seat resting my head on the steering wheel.

“You look exhausted. Didn’t get any sleep?”

“I was advised to stay away so as to not throw off my sleep schedule.”

“Oh right that makes sense. So you’ve got everything you need? Do you need some coffee?”

“No. Coffee would just keep me awake and I plan on going to bed in a few hours.”

“Well I tried. Anyways as soon as you come back don’t pull into the depot. You’ll stop at the entrance and from there you can go home. I’ll do all the clocking out for you. They want the bus to be sanitized out there for ventilation purposes.”

I lifted my head and nodded. He had me wait for a minute before coming back with a small bottle of orange juice. He handed it to me ensuring a little bit of sugar can keep me awake long enough. He left to go to his office and I drank half the bottle in one or two gulps. This was it the final stretch. I closed my doors and pulled out to get on that long stretch of road. This was only day one. I couldn’t imagine having to do this for long periods of time. At every stop light and stop sign I tried to slap myself to keep awake. I have to make sure she gets home to her animals safely in one piece.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it folks another chapter in the books. Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter as I have enjoyed writing it. Anyone curious as to who Michael (your boyfriend) looks like? Well I'm not sure if others would agree with me but I decided to go with Jason Momoa as the model your boyfriend is based on physically, mentally, and emotionally. Hope no one flames me for that and don't worry your end game is with Paterson. Anyways hope you enjoyed it and keep leaving me feedback so I can shape this story rather than fill it with fluff. Also I know I originally meant for this to start off with the pandemic and everything but you will see that I am going to slowly fade it out. It was a good meeting point for the two characters but I think it's time to move on and proceed with the story. So this pandemic will probably last only one month instead of how long it's lasting currently. I mean this is a fictional world so anything can happen. I hope I still continue having your support and I push these two to finally find love with each other!


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